71-year-old retiree outsmarts scammer claiming to be from SGH with fake name and info
71-year-old retiree outsmarts scammer claiming to be from SGH with fake name and info
Welcome to Stomping Ground - a space where Stompers share reflections, personal essays and social commentaries that spark conversation and insight.
A 71-year-old retiree recently received a call from an alleged scammer who nearly tricked her into divulging personal information.
Stomper Sarah told Stomp she received a call on her landline on June 4.
"When I picked up the call, it immediately started with a recorded message in PRC Mandarin, which immediately put me on high alert," she said.
"The message then continued and claimed to be calling from Singapore General Hospital (SGH), and that they were calling regarding a problem with my records."
A man later introduced himself as a representative from SGH, asking for Sarah's name, to which she responded with a fictitious one.
"I put on a soft, feeble voice to mimic that of a frail old woman," she shared.
The scammer then proceeded to ask personal questions, and Sarah, suspecting the call was a scam, began feeding him misleading information.
"He asked me to wait a while and came back shortly, saying he had checked his computer and found my name and medical record," she recounted.
"I told him I was 72 and a retired bank manager to lure him into thinking I had plenty of savings.
"I also told him I was living alone, had no children and needed a walking stick.
"Despite my telling him I hardly left the house, he said according to his records, I had ventured overseas on May 17 and May 23 and bought several syringes of intravenous morphine.
"I denied it but he kept insisting.
"I told him not to ask again or I would hang up, so when he did, I immediately ended the call."
However, the scammer's persistence didn't stop there.
A few minutes later, another man with a Chinese accent called, claiming to be the first scammer's supervisor.
"He thought I was an easy target and tried to pressure me again," Sarah said.
This time, Sarah switched to her normal voice, telling the caller that she had given a fake name and was aware that he was a scammer.
"I told him what he was doing was evil, that heaven has eyes and that karma would strike him and his loved ones," she added. "Of course, he hung up immediately."
Sarah told Stomp that whenever she receives such calls, she indulges them to find out what 'fairy tales' they are going to tell her so that she can report them on ScamShield.
"I also share these with my contacts so they can be alert to such scams," she said.
"I always tell these fraudsters that they are truly evil to scam old folks and that karma will strike their loved ones one day."
However, despite her efforts, some people she has warned still fall for scams.
"My ex-colleague in her 40s was scammed of her life savings," she said.
"She is a divorcee working as a clerical officer and supporting two children and her old parents on her salary.
"Now, she has no savings. I hope the scammers will be visited by karma.
"I also know a dishonest person, a gambler and con-man with many unpaid debts.
"He admitted he finally knows karma is real, watching his father suffer terribly because of his actions."
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