'I was a bit foolish': Scam victim recovers $17k after seeking help from police, meet-the-people session with Shanmugam

Alone and afraid of being sent to jail, an elderly man fell victim to a government official impersonation scam and almost lost $17,000 of his savings.

But he got the money back with the police's help and also MP and Home Affairs Minister K Shangmugam.

The 70-year-old man, surnamed Goh, received a call on Dec 8 last year from someone claiming to be a Harvey Norman employee who told him that he was accused of money laundering.

Speaking to AsiaOne, Goh recalled that the "employee" asked him to make payment for an 80-inch television he had ordered.

After insisting that he never made such a purchase, the employee told him that he was likely involved in money laundering activities, and that he would be referred to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Goh subsequently received calls from two people who claimed to be MAS officials.

He said that the scammers sounded like locals and seemed professional while speaking to him, which made him more inclined to believe them.

The scammers informed him that they would need access to his bank account for investigations.

Goh gave access to his account, afraid that he would be fined or sent to jail if convicted of money laundering.

The phone call lasted around two to three hours, with $17,000 transferred to a UOB bank account, explained by the scammers as "protection money" that would be saved in that account. 

Goh was not entirely convinced, and said that he recorded the UOB bank account number "in case (he) needed to make a complaint".  

Police report filed, bank account frozen

Goh went to the police after ending the call.

"It didn't seem right that MAS officials would ask me to transfer money, so I rushed to file a police report," he said, adding that he also contacted the bank to freeze his account.

"I felt very anxious. Handing over a sum of $17,000 is a lot, and it took hard work to earn that money," he said.

Goh said that he had not been given any updates for about a month after filing the police report, which prompted him to attend a Meet-the-People (MPS) session with Shanmugam.

The victim raised the incident in the hope of speeding up the investigation process.

"Soon after, the Anti-Scam Centre contacted me and said the case was being processed," Goh said, adding that the police also informed him that there was a chance to recover the funds. 

Several weeks later, the money was returned to Goh's account. 

'Even I got fooled'

Looking back, Goh said that he should not have fallen for such tactics, having read about previous scams reported.

"They were very clever. I thought I'd be able to handle scammers, but even I got fooled," he said.

Goh cautioned those in similar situation to put down the phone immediately once asked to transfer money, as continuing the conversation would increase one's chances of falling victim.

He also advised others to block such phone numbers to prevent repeated calls.

Goh said: "I think I was a bit foolish. I should have just hung up immediately and not listened to (the scammer) anymore." 

@asiaone Reflecting on what happened, Goh, 70, said he felt stupid for allowing himself to be scammed. However, he took certain swift actions which helped his case. This is his story. #sgnews #Singapore #Police #Scam ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

He met with Shanmugam again to convey his appreciation, in a video uploaded to Shanmugam's Facebook page on Saturday (June 13).

The video, which includes a handwritten letter from Goh, has since garnered over 110,000 views.

"Mr Goh was fortunate. Many others are not," Shanmugam said, reminding members of the public to stay vigilant against scams.

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