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Police would like to alert members of public
to be wary of a scam where fraudsters offer solutions to ward off evil
spirits or bad luck, duping victims into parting with their cash and
valuables. |
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Typically, the scam is executed by a group
of three. One of the fraudsters will first approach the victim asking
for whereabouts of a well-known physician or fengshui master. |
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Posing as a passer-by, a second fraudster
will then interrupt to offer to bring them to the master. The third
fraudster, usually introduced as a relative of the master, will then
impress upon the victim that something unfortunate will befall her
family. |
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The victim, will then be instructed to hand
over her jewellery and cash for a ritual. Within the same day, the items
will be returned to the victim in a bag and she is advised to open the
bag only after a few days. |
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When the victim finally opens the bag, she
will find her jewellery and cash missing and in their place, a few
apples and other items. |
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These scams first emerged in July 2002 and
to date, 49 cases have been reported and 21 culprits were arrested. This
year, Police had received eleven reports of such cases. Of these, four
cases were reported in the first two weeks of November. |
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On 8 Nov 2006 , the victim, a 43-yr-old
woman, was approached by a Chinese woman at about 9.30am , while walking
towards a park at Tanah Merah Kechil Road. The woman asked if she knew
of a well-known, 108-yr-old Taiwanese physician who lived nearby. At
this juncture, another Chinese woman appeared and informed that she knew
where to find him and offered to bring them to his residence. |
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Shortly after, they spotted a third Chinese
woman, who was introduced to the victim as the granddaughter of the
physician. She instructed them to wait while she went to obtain consent
from the physician to attend to them. When she returned a few minutes
later, she told the victim that the physician, who was also a Chinese
medium, had commented that the victim was possessed by evil spirits and
her son will be affected. |
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The victim was then instructed to hand over
her jewellery and cash to be used for prayers. They were to be placed
into a red plastic bag containing some fruits prepared by the alleged
granddaughter. One of the Chinese woman then accompanied the victim to
her home to retrieve her jewellery and cash before leading her back to
the others at the park at Tanah Merah Kechil Road. |
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At the park, the victim handed her bag to
the alleged granddaughter. The trio then moved a distance away where the
alleged granddaughter was seen chanting a prayer. When they returned, a
bag was handed to the victim and she was instructed to bring it home and
open it after a few days. |
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When the victim arrived home, she felt
something amiss and decided to open the bag. She found six apples, one
roll of toilet paper, one roll of tissue paper and two pieces of stone
in it. Her cash of about S$1600 and RM300 as well as jewellery of about
$15,400 was missing. |
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The three Chinese women were described as
follows: |
| Complexion:
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Fair |
| Age: |
In her 20s |
| Build: |
Slim |
| Hair: |
Short |
| Height: |
About 1.60m - 1.65m |
| Complexion:
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Tanned |
| Age: |
In her early 40s |
| Build: |
Slim |
| Hair: |
Shoulder length wavy |
| Height: |
About 1.55m - 1.60m |
| Complexion:
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Tanned |
| Age: |
In her late 40s |
| Build: |
Plump |
| Hair: |
Shoulder length wavy |
| Height: |
About 1.55m - 1.60m |
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Members of the public who have information
on the suspects can call the Police Hotline at 1800-2550000. |
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Director Operations, Assistant Commissioner
Wong Hong Kuan, said: "Call the Police at ＾999￣ if in doubt. If
something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Senior citizens
due to their old age are vulnerable to crime. Explain the crime
prevention measures to elderly members in your family as they could be
victims of tricksters and criminals. It is important that they are aware
of the precautionary measures to undertake, so as to protect themselves
against crime." |
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 November 2006 @ 6.30pm |
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Source:
www.spf.gov.sg Media Release
14 Nov 2006 |
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FrontPage Edition: Thu 16 November 2006
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