Man, 78, loses S$67,500 after 'Hwa Chong teacher' asked him for help to order 200 mattresses for school

A scammer, claiming to be a teacher from Hwa Chong Institution, called a 78-year-old man on Sep. 18 and asked for his help to place a bulk order for mattresses for the school.

The victim reportedly ended up transferring S$67,500 for 200 mattresses to a "mattress supplier", whose contact was provided by the scammer.

After the victim grew suspicious and lodged a police report, the scammers deleted all their messages to him.

'Teacher' asked for help

The victim, who was identified by the pseudonym Huang (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that he was first contacted by the scammers on Sep. 18.

At noon, Huang, who is apparently a Hwa Chong alumni, got a call from a man who claimed to be a teacher at Hwa Chong Institution, surnamed "Chen".

Chen told Huang that the school hoped to work with him to organise an event and invited him to the campus for "further discussions".

"He asked for my licence plate number, and also shared details of how I enrolled in the school, which made me lower my guard," said Huang.

The next day, Chen called again.

This time, he asked for Huang's help to order 50 mattresses for the school.

Chen told Huang that the school had a regular supplier, but the supplier had "some friction" with the principal lately, so they refused to service the school.

As the school "couldn't afford to lose face", they were hoping Huang could help make the purchase, Chen said.

Huang said he was then provided a contact for a mattress supplier based in Malaysia.

He agreed to help out of goodwill.

Pressed to make payment quickly

When Huang contacted the "supplier", a "representative" told him that they had stock for the mattresses, but he would need to make payment quickly.

"The 'teacher' also kept contacting and reminding me on the mattress order, saying that the school needed it urgently as the Ministry of Education would be conducting a review shortly," Huang said.

Huang transferred the "supplier" S$18,500 and was promised that they would ship the mattresses immediately.

After he made payment, Chen called again, and asked for Huang's help to purchase another 150 mattresses for those in need.

This came up to a cost of S$49,000, and Huang was initially told to pay a S$10,000 deposit, which he did.

However, the "supplier" demanded the full payment before the goods could be shipped, and put pressure on Huang to pay in full.

Got fake bank transaction screenshot from scammers

During the process, Huang's suspicions grew and he expressed them to Chen.

In response, Chen shared with Huang a screenshot of a "bank transaction" of S$96,000 made to his account in advance.

Huang said that as the amount was in excess of what he would pay for the mattress order, this eased his worries.

However, as the money did not come in immediately, Huang went to his bank to verify the transaction.

"The bank staff told me that it would take a day [to be reflected], but didn't identify the transaction as fraudulent," Huang said.

Lost S$67,500, made police report

After checking with the bank, Huang transferred the remaining S$39,000 to the "mattress supplier".

His total losses came up to S$67,500.

Huang also asked for the "supplier" to provide identification, and was sent a picture of a Malaysia identification card.

Later, Huang's employee informed his daughter about the incident, and they realised that an invoice issued to Huang appeared to be fake.

After researching on past scam incidents, Huang realised he had been cheated and lodged a police report.

“Subsequently, the other parties realised that we were suspicious and deleted all the messages they sent me," said Huang.

Reflecting on the incident, Huang noted that scammers nowadays use "sophisticated" schemes, such as by using people or organisations familiar to the victim to bolster their credibility.

"They also use fake documents and other evidence to prove their transactions are 'real'. It's really pervasive," he said.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

Not the first time

A Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) spokesperson told Mothership that the school is aware of impersonation scams involving individuals falsely claiming to be staff members.

A police report was made in 2024 when such incidents first surfaced, and the school has since issued a scam advisory on its website, the spokesperson said.

According to the advisory, scammers would invite contractors or vendors to bid for jobs but require them to purchase materials from specific companies.

Such jobs included delivery of flowers, provision of equipment or materials, or services like photography.

In some cases, the scammers even requested the vendor to meet on the school campus.

"We understand that such incidents can cause unnecessary worry and inconvenience. We urge members of the public to stay vigilant and not fall victim to these scams. If in doubt, they may reach out to the school directly to verify the authenticity of any communication," the HCI spokesperson said.

Top image from Shin Min Daily News