An employee of a local tuition centre was the target of an impersonation scam, with the scammers posing as her boss and asking her to transfer S$20,000 to an account purportedly for business expansion purposes.

The scammers supposedly archived the chat between the employee and her boss and blocked the boss' contact on the employee's WhatsApp account.

Their chat with the employee also allegedly managed to contain the authentic chat history between the the boss and the employee.

Given the veneer of authenticity, the employee lowered her guard at first, but saw through the ruse eventually.

Asked to help transfer money for business purposes

Speaking to Mothership, Sandra Lim, founder of tuition centre, The Nuggets Academy, shared that her employee was first approached on Wednesday (Oct. 7) afternoon.

It started with a text message from the fake "Sandra", Lim recounted.

"Sandra" had apparently told the employee that she needed her to help make a transfer for business purposes.

"Sandra" also explained to the employee that it wasn't convenient for her to make the transfer under her own name, hence she needed the employee's help.

"So she thought it was a favour, and she was like, 'Yeah, sure, just send me the money and I'll make the transfer for you'," Lim shared.

"Sandra" then asked for the employee's account number and name, which the employee provided, still thinking she was chatting with Lim.

However, Lim said the employee had wondered at this point why she still needed to provide her bank details if the company's human resources department would have the information.

Pressure tactics

After receiving the employee's bank account details, "Sandra" sent the employee a screenshot of the transfer, claiming that S$20,000 had successfully been transferred to her account.

"Sandra" then requested the employee transfer the money to a MariBank account.

However, the employee told "Sandra" that the S$20,000 was not received.

According to screenshots shared with Mothership, "Sandra" started coming up with reasons to explain this, such as there being a delay due to a bank system upgrade.

"Sandra" then asked the employee how much she could transfer from her bank in the interim, to which the employee replied that she only remits money in ringgit, not Singapore dollars.

"Sandra" then asked how much she could transfer in ringgit.

The employee said she could transfer RM63,800, or about S$20,000.

"So the scammer was saying things like, 'Oh, but I need the transfer to be done urgently. Can you please do it now'," Lim said.

At one point, the fake "Sandra" asked the employee if she could borrow from her friends to transfer S$10,000 or S$5,000 for the time being.

It was at this point that the employee started becoming uncomfortable.

Chat history, blocked contact

According to Lim, the employee had not become suspicious as the chat with "Sandra" included their authentic chat history.

"Obviously, she wouldn't think it was someone else. It was our legit chat, right?" Lim remarked.

The employee then spoke to a friend, who pointed out that something was amiss.

"Her friend was like, 'Hey, how come your boss will ask you for money?'" Lim shared.

The employee then opened up the WhatsApp profile information of the person she was speaking to and discovered that the phone number had a country code of +91.

According to Lim, the employee investigated further and found that the chat between the two of them had been archived on her WhatsApp.

The employee also discovered that the contact of the real Lim had been blocked.

How

Till today, Lim said neither of them could figure out how the scammer managed to replicate the chat history or archive their chat remotely.

They have reported the scammer's number.

However, they've stopped short of making a police report since no money was lost.

Instead, Lim decided to share about the incident on social media to alert others about the scam.

Apart from serving as a cautionary tale, Lim is also hoping to tap on the wisdom of the online crowd to see if anyone could shed some light on how the scammer could have seemingly accessed either her or her employee's WhatsApp account.

This was the first time she's encountered a scam like that, she said.

Lim clarified that neither her nor the employee had recently changed their phone numbers.

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A post shared by Sandra Lim | Founder of The Nuggets Academy (@sandralim.sg)

More authentication layers activated to secure accounts

When asked if she has put in place additional safeguards to prevent a recurrence, Lim said that she's joked with her staff about using a "special password".

"Every time I start a conversation with her, I will say that secret word," Lim said of the idea.

On a serious note, Lim said they have changed their passwords and activated more authentication layers to secure their WhatsApp accounts

A freehold bungalow that used to be the home of the late Singapore property tycoon Chng Gim Huat has been put up for sale by public tender, with a guiding price of S$83 million.

Located at 8 Lornie Road, the property spans 51,700 sq ft, which means that the price is S$1,605 per sq ft.

According to EdgeProp, the house was previously put on the market in May 2025 by private treaty for a price of S$82 million, but it was later withdrawn unsold.

The site also has potential for redevelopment.

Marketing agent Knight Frank Singapore said in a statement that buyers can convert the space to build six detached houses or 16 semi-detached houses, subject to the relevant authorities' approvals.

The guide price of S$1,605 per sq ft offers "an attractive entry point" for buyers with a long-term investment horizon, said Knight Frank's senior manager of capital markets Dayna Ang.

The tender will close at 3pm on Nov. 12.

About Chng

Chng, who passed away in August 2024 at 90, was the founder of Chng Gim Huat (CGH) Group, a property development and investment firm.

According to Zaobao, he first got into the construction industry in the 1960s, working on HDB projects in Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio.

In the 1980s, he ventured into property development.

CGH Group was behind several major industrial property projects, including the Paya Ubi Industrial Estate, the Orchid Hotel in Tanjong Pagar, and the CGH Building at Killiney Road.

His family, which is now selling the 8 Lornie Road property, recently closed a deal for the Orchid Hotel for about S$273 million in June.

About the house

Today, the house has two storeys and seven bedrooms, The Business Times reported.

Built in 1937, it was reportedly bought by Chng in the 1970s, according to EdgeProp.

Chng lived here with his wife and seven children. As the family grew over time, they also extended parts of the house.

In the 1990s, they added two bedrooms to the second floor, and an office suite for CGH Group on the ground floor.

They also maintained a large garden behind the house with various fruits, including durian, mango, avocado, longan, pomelo, and starfruit.

A Go-Ahead bus and a car collided at the junction of Bencoolen Street and Orchard Road at about 1:40pm on Oct. 11.

What happened

According to a Mothership reader who witnessed the incident, the car was in a lane marked for mandatory right turns, but it appeared that the the driver wanted to go straight.

As a result, the car collided with the bus.

Fortunately, the driver and passenger of the car appeared to be unhurt after the collision, he said.

Go-Ahead assisting authorities with investigations

In response to Mothership's queries, a Go-Ahead spokesperson said the company is aware of an accident involving one of their buses operating Service 65 and a private vehicle.

The spokesperson said the private vehicle, which was in a right-turn-only lane, went straight and collided with the bus, which was making a right turn.

No injuries were reported among the bus captain or the passengers on board, the spokesperson added.

"We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities in their investigations."

Active mobility enforcement officers in Singapore impounded 70 devices during enforcement operations in September 2026, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Oct. 12.

In total, 503 offences were detected.

Two officers assaulted

In one incident during an enforcement operation in Ang Mo Kio, a rider suspected of using a non-compliant device assaulted two officers, LTA added in its social media post.

The police have since arrested a 52-year-old man for voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty.

Investigations are ongoing.

The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years, a fine, or caning.

LTA said it has zero tolerance for violence or abuse against our officers.

"We will work closely with the police to ensure that such acts are dealt with sternly. We remind all members of the public to cooperate with our officers and comply with their instructions during enforcement checks," LTA added.

The plan to pilot self-driving public buses on SBS Transit bus services 400 and 191 has been halted.

Six autonomous buses were originally scheduled to begin operating alongside regular buses on the two routes in the second half of 2026, for an initial period of three years.

The routes serve Marina Bay and one-north respectively.

In response to Mothership’s queries, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) confirmed that the deployment will no longer proceed as planned.

It said it is taking a “phased and calibrated approach” towards deploying autonomous buses.

Instead, it is exploring more targeted uses for autonomous buses.

"We are currently exploring narrower use cases for autonomous buses serving targeted groups of commuters, such as employee shuttle services, before considering wider deployment on public bus services, which are more complex."

It will announce more details on the use cases and plans when ready.

One of five buses has passed test

LTA added that all six autonomous buses have been delivered to Singapore.

The first bus arrived in March 2026 and passed LTA’s Milestone 1 (M1) Test in July.

This is a closed-circuit test consisting of basic manoeuvres to ensure autonomous vehicles can navigate safely on roads.

The remaining five buses are undergoing preparations for the M1 Test.

Earlier plans included possible expansion

LTA had previously said the pilot would allow it to assess the feasibility of autonomous vehicle technology for public bus services.

The agency previously said it might purchase up to 14 additional autonomous buses and expand the pilot to more public bus services.

https://mothership.sg/2025/10/driverless-bus-marina-bay-one-north-2026/index.html

A 24-year-old Myanmar national was charged with child abuse on Oct. 13 after she allegedly ill-treated a five-month-old baby boy multiple times between Apr. 2, 2026, and Apr. 19, 2026.

Charge sheets seen by Mothership stated that the infant was under the care of Lai Yi Phyo when she allegedly shook, bit, choked and hit him.

Apr. 2 to Apr. 8

On Apr. 2, Phyo allegedly shook the child violently and repeatedly and hit his head.

Charge sheets stated that she was also accused of strangling him and pinching his cheek on the same day.

On Apr. 4, Phyo allegedly hit the child's head repeatedly.

A few days later on Apr. 7, she allegedly shook the child violently and repeatedly. She was also accused of pressing the child's arms against his chest and repeatedly slapping him.

The next day on Apr. 8, not only did Phyo once again shake the child violently and repeatedly, she also forcefully pushed a pacifier into his mouth.

Apr. 13 to Apr. 19

Subsequently on Apr. 13, she allegedly violently and repeatedly shook the child, repeatedly hit the his forehead, and threw him on the bed.

Phyo was accused of allegedly forcefully pushing a pacifier into his mouth again and repeatedly slapping him.

She was also accused of forcefully pushed a pacifier into the child's mouth again, and repeatedly pushing his leg.

Phyo also allegedly bit the child's torso area and waist area.

She was also accused of violently and repeatedly shaking the child, throwing him onto the bed, and forcefully pushing a pacifier into his mouth. She was also accused of repeatedly hitting the child at his head, back, and leg area.

A few days later, Phyo allegedly slapped the child repeatedly, threw him onto the bed, and pressed his head against the bed.

She was also accused of twisting his head, his ear, and his legs, as well as violently and repeatedly shaking him and forcefully pushing a pacifier into his mouth.

Phyo also allegedly pinched the child's cheek and bit his elbow area that day.

Penalty

Following this, she is expected to plead guilty on Nov. 10.

If convicted of ill-treating the child, she could be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to S$8,000, or both.

883Jia deejay Jimmy Koh spent 28 days at a weight-loss camp in Guangzhou, China — and lost 12kg.

He spent S$3,019 in total to get his weight down from 90kg to 78kg.

Price breakdown

In an Instagram post on Sep. 30, Koh, who is 175cm tall, called the camp a “fat prison”.

In China, it is referred to as "fat camp".

The 28-day experience itself cost about S$1,500.

This covered accommodation at a five-star hotel, three meals a day, as well as exercise sessions, such as strength training, cardio training, and spin classes.

Additionally, he spent S$800 on return flights, S$86 on mobile data and S$150 on travel insurance.

Other expenses included transportation, toiletries, bottled water, online shopping, food on their rest days, and sightseeing.

Koh advised Singaporeans who would like to attend the same “fat prison” to fly to Shenzhen instead of Guangzhou to save on travel costs.

Meals were not provided on Sundays, which were rest days.

Koh said he used these rest days to do sightseeing.

He also said the overall cost could vary based on flights, personal spending, and choice of camp, as prices can range from anywhere between S$600 and S$3,000.

Hong Kong actress Angela Yuen spoke out about inappropriate remarks made by a veteran journalist during an interview.

The journalist has since issued a public apology.

In late 2025, Yuen and other female cast members attended an interview promoting the film Gamer Girls.

The journalist joked that he felt like he was sitting at a hostess club, as reported by The Standard.

Yuen called him out on the spot and said the remarks were inappropriate. She asked him to either apologise or remain quiet, and he chose to stay silent.

The journalist has since acknowledged the inappropriate remarks he made and apologised for his actions. He also expressed regret for not apologising at the time.

She brought this incident to light through a social media post titled Apologies That Will Never Come on Oct. 12.

Yuen also revealed other instances where she was sexually harassed.

A male director had allegedly made a demeaning comment on her appearance, a crew member allegedly made an obscene remark to her in Japanese, and a veteran actor allegedly kissed her cheek during filming without prior discussion.

Yuen recently earned plaudits for her role in Afterpiece, landing a Golden Horse nomination for leading actress.

Johor Bahru politician Andrew Chen has urged Indonesia to take responsibility for transboundary haze and apologise to affected Asean countries.

The DAP politician and member of the Johor state legislature's remarks came after an Indonesian government official said forest fires were "beyond human error".

He also said Indonesian forests supplied oxygen to neighbouring countries when there was no haze.

People’s health should not be treated as a joke

In a Facebook post on Oct. 12, Chen described access to clean air as an immediate, non-negotiable human right.

Chen is a member of the DAP, which is still part of the governing coalition of Malaysia's Madani government, although there have been recent tensions with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. However, he is a state politician and not a Member of Parliament.

He pointed to declarations by the United Nations and Asean recognising a clean, safe and healthy environment as a universal human right.

Chen said Indonesian spokespersons should stop being unapologetic towards affected Asean countries and their own people over human-made haze pollution.

He also criticised Indonesian authorities for allowing haze containing toxic PM2.5 particles to affect neighbouring countries, calling for them to be held accountable.

“We Malaysians are suffering and yet you are making fun of our health.

This is unacceptable. The health and lives of the people should never be treated as a joke.”

Responding to Indonesian official’s remarks

Chen’s statement comes in response to remarks made by Indonesia’s head of Government Communications Agency, Syahganda Nainggolan, on Oct. 10.

Nainggolan said Indonesia understood Malaysia’s and Singapore’s concerns about haze caused by forest and land fires in his country.

However, he made a comment about Singapore and Malaysia receiving oxygen from Indonesia's forests, which sparked criticism online.

“We're not just sending over the haze. When there's no haze, we send oxygen,” he told the media.

Nainggolan described the fires as “beyond human error” and a natural phenomenon, asking neighbouring countries to understand the situation.

UPDATE on Oct. 13 at 6:01pm: By 4:37pm, all affected services were restored, according to health tech agency Synapxe.

All three public healthcare clusters in Singapore — NHG Health, National University Health System and SingHealth — are experiencing connectivity issues that is affecting some services.

The affected services include patient-facing systems like appointment booking through call centres, visitor registration and billing enquiries.

It was reported earlier today (Oct. 13) that call centre lines across NHG health, including four hospitals, were temporarily unavailable.

The service disruption then grew to include National University Hospital and Singapore General Hospital by noon time.

No indication of cyber incident: health tech agency

In a statement on Facebook, national health tech agency Synapxe said that as a result of the connectivity issues, patients and visitors may experience longer waiting times for some services as a result.

Synapxe also noted that there is no indication that this is a cyber incident.

"We understand the inconvenience this may cause, especially for patients and visitors who are at our healthcare institutions," Synapxe said.

"We sincerely apologise for the disruption and thank you for your patience and understanding. We will continue to keep you updated as services are progressively restored," the agency added.

The agency also said that its technical teams are working urgently to resolve the issue and restore services as soon as possible.

According to its website, Synapxe manages systems such as the National Electronic Health Record system and the National Billing System.

At the time of writing, a banner notice atop NHG Health's website indicates that its call centre lines across the healthcare group remain temporarily unavailable and that a system disruption is affecting some services.

It also states that additional staff have been deployed to assist with patient services on site.

A similar notice was shared on NUHS' Facebook page at around 11:23am today.

Signages seen at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

When Mothership visited Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) at around 3:15pm, signage informing patients of the service disruption were seen at the outpatient pharmacy and patient services counter.

KTPH is under NHG Health.

The pharmacy also informed that medication processing may take slightly longer.

Yishun Community Hospital, also under NHG Health and located beside KTPH, had no public indication of a disruption to services.

Operations were observed to be running smoothly at both hospitals.

Calls to Sengkang General Hospital, Changi General Hospital (CGH) and KK Women's and Children's Hospital, all under SingHealth, were successful.

However, the CGH operator informed that longer waiting times may be expected due to the service disruption.

All services restored

In an update on Facebook, Synapxe shared that all affected services were restored by 4:37pm on Oct. 13.

The connectivity issue which resulted in the service disruption began at around 7:10am the same day.

Services were progressively restored from approximately 3pm.

Investigations into the technical issues are ongoing.