Person who lost iPhone in S'pore puts up talisman warning to 'curse' thief who took it

What would you do if you suspected your mobile phone was stolen?

Lodge a police report or retrace your steps to find it?

For one person who lost an iPhone in Singapore recently, their solution was to put up a printed notice at a lift lobby threatening to curse the alleged thief with a Taoist talisman if the phone was not returned.

The unusual sight was shared to the "Complaint Singapore" Facebook group on Nov. 25.

The notice

In the notice written in both English and Chinese, the owner claimed that their purple iPhone in a light pink case had been stolen.

The model of the iPhone was not disclosed.

A one-week ultimatum was given to the alleged thief to contact the owner or surrender it at a police station.

"I'll reward you after you return it, otherwise you will be cursed your whole life by the charm. I'll destroy the curse charm after you return," the note concluded.

A black-and-white picture of the "curse charm" was included in the notice.

How effective?

The post's caption read: "Will this be effective?"

It was also clarified in a comment on the post by the person who took the photo of the notice, that it was not spotted in Yishun, but in the "east side" of Singapore.

Will it work?

Whether the charm can indeed punish alleged wrongdoers is up in the air.

The talisman resembles a fu lu Taoist talisman commonly used for summoning and expelling spirits, healing illnesses and averting disasters.

Similar charms can be found online retailing for upwards of US$200 (S$269).

Some commenters opined that a photocopy of the charm would not be effective.

Others suggested that the charm needed to be printed in colour or written out in full to function as the owner intended.

Top image from Complaint Singapore/Facebook & @pistachio0s/X