Young woman solicits door-to-door donations in Toa Payoh, resident suspects she's misrepresenting her cause

A young woman who allegedly went door to door in the Toa Payoh estate soliciting donations has been called out for misrepresenting herself and her cause.

Details of a resident's interaction with the woman were provided in a tip-off to Mothership.

The case was also reported in Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min).

What happened

The resident, who resides at Block 79E Toa Payoh Central, said the incident occurred on Jan. 2 at around 8:45pm.

The 33-year-old resident, who works in the finance industry, said a young woman knocked on his door while he and his family were home one evening.

The woman, who appeared to be in her 20s, then introduced herself by name and said she was collecting donations to help those who "dropped out of school, had criminal record or took drugs before".

Her interaction with the resident was caught on the doorbell camera of the homeowner, who shared a snippet of it with Mothership.

Asked for fundraising licence or permit

Curious about the young woman's claims, the resident asked to see an official fundraising permit or licence.

According to the resident, the young woman had a flyer with her that stated that the amount of donations accepted ranged from S$5 to S$50.

The resident told Mothership that when he pressed the young woman for a House to House and Street Collections Licence issued by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), she furnished an Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) link that led to a profile for a company that was incorporated in November 2024.

When the resident searched Acra records, he found that the company was registered as a business that retails crockery, cutlery and kitchen utensils.

The resident supplied Mothership with a copy of the company's profile and the names of the individuals behind it.

"After figuring that she was misrepresenting herself, I declined to donate," the resident said.

After he rejected her, she continued to knock on his neighbour's door, the resident observed.

He then made a police report.

S$10 for reusable bag

Shin Min interviewed another Toa Payoh resident in her 50s who donated S$10 and received a reusable bag in return.

The resident who donated said: "I don't know if she is a liar, but as long as it can help people, it's good."

Door-to-door sales constitutes illegal hawking

A lawyer that Shin Min interviewed said those who raise funds from the public in such a manner need to obtain a door-to-door fundraising licence.

Those who conduct unlicensed collections and are convicted may be liable for a fine not exceeding S$5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both.

The door-to-door sale of food or goods to consumers is a form of illegal hawking and an offence under the Environmental Public Health Act.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has said it investigates cases of illegal hawking and takes necessary enforcement action.

Top photo via resident