Woman, 49, arrested in S'pore over alleged 'Fun Coffee' Ponzi scheme; 1 victim lost about S$400,000

A 49-year-old woman was arrested on Aug. 6 in connection with an ongoing police investigation into an alleged investment scheme linked to the "Fun Coffee" platform.

The platform is purportedly based in Vietnam and has an outlet in Jalan Besar.

Alleged investment scheme

In a news release on Aug. 8, the Singapore Police Force said the woman had actively promoted the investment scheme and recruited others to join.

To participate, users were instructed to download the "Fun Coffee" application and transfer Tether (USDT), a cryptocurrency pegged to the U.S. dollar, to digital wallet addresses provided through the app.

Users could subscribe to various investment plans available on the application, which promised "unrealistically" high returns.

They were also offered additional commissions for recruiting new members.

Police said participants in Singapore were subsequently unable to withdraw their funds through the application.

The woman was arrested for allegedly promoting or participating in a multi-level marketing or pyramid selling scheme, or holding herself out as doing so, under Section 3 of the Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Selling (Prohibition) Act 1973.

If convicted, she faces a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to S$200,000, or both.

On its Singapore website, Fun Coffee describes itself as "a lifestyle brand combining coffee, wellness and digital innovation into a community experience".

It operates a café featuring a coffee-making robot at 202 Jalan Besar, and claims to have assets of over US$1 billion and a team of over 5,000.

Arrests made in Hong Kong and Macau

The arrest in Singapore comes after authorities in Hong Kong and Macau arrested eight people allegedly linked to Fun Coffee, according to an earlier report by the South China Morning Post.

More than 220 complaints were lodged after the Fun Coffee application suddenly went offline on Jul. 20.

In total, victims reported losses of HK$94 million (S$15.3 million).

Singapore investor says she lost about S$400,000

A number of investors in Singapore have since filed police reports over the scheme.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a 48-year-old woman said she had invested about S$400,000 in the scheme.

She said she was first introduced to Fun Coffee by a friend in June 2025, who shared videos of the events organised by the company.

In September 2025, she said she was told she could earn S$100 by bringing 10 friends to a company "fun run", and that each attendee would also receive S$50.

Following the event, she downloaded the application and started investing.

According to the woman, she initially received about S$10,000 in returns, which she reinvested into the scheme.

However, on Jul. 21, one of her friends, who is based in Hong Kong, informed her that withdrawals were no longer possible.

Three days later, she encountered the same issue, prompting her to lodge a police report.

"I feel very guilty, because I introduced (my friends and family members) to this. I even invested all the money from my business (into the app)."

"I now have about $80 left in my bank account. I don’t know what to do," she was quoted as saying.

Public advised not to make further payments to the scheme

The Singapore police urged members of the public not to make any further payments or transfers to the scheme, even if approached by individuals claiming to represent Fun Coffee or through requests made via the application.

They also advised the public to exercise caution before making investment decisions.

This includes avoiding transfers to personal or unregistered accounts, and conducting independent checks on any investment opportunity before committing funds.