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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Woman conned by strangers in Chinatown into giving up $700 and gold necklace to 'Chinese physician' for blessing
Woman conned by strangers in Chinatown into giving up $700 and gold necklace to 'Chinese physician' for blessing A woman was conned by strangers in Chinatown into giving up $700 and her Guan Yin pendant to a "Chinese physician" for "blessing". Three women and a man, aged between 47 and 61, were arrested for their suspected involvement after the police received a report from the victim on June 3. The victim was initially approached by one of the women seeking directions to a Chinese physician. A second woman then intervened, claiming to know of a suitable physician but explained that consultations could only take place outside the premises due to overcrowding. The second woman wanted the victim to pose as her relative and both women led the victim to meet a third woman who claimed to be a Chinese physician and told the victim she was experiencing misfortune due to negative spiritual elements. The three women and the victim then arranged to meet at Hong Lim Park where the victim was convinced to surrender $700 in cash and a gold necklace with a Guan Yin pendant to the "Chinese physician", who then placed the items in a black plastic bag and performed a purported blessing ritual. The victim was instructed to store the plastic bag underneath her bed and not open it for one month. But the next morning, she examined the contents of the plastic bag and discovered that her valuables had been replaced with leaves. A similar scam was reported in Clementi on June 4. Two women approached another victim and engaged her in conversation. After noticing cash in the victim's bag, they convinced her to place the $700 into a black trash bag for "safekeeping". The victim later discovered that her money was missing. Through extensive ground enquiries and with the aid of CCTV footage, officers established the identities of the three women and a fourth man who was believed to be working with trio. All four were arrested on June 5. The first victim's gold necklace was recovered from one of them. Cash amounting to S$1,311 and RMB10,050 were seized as case exhibits. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE The suspects were to be charged in court on June 6 with conspiracy to cheat, which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine. The police said they would like to remind members of the public to be wary of strangers who claim to provide spiritual help or blessing services. No legitimate religiou spractitioner will ask for your money or valuables to be surrendered for any blessi ngritual. You should be vigilant and alert elderly family members about such scams. If approached by someone claiming you have bad luck or need spiritual cleansing, do not engage with them and call the police immediately. Click here to contribute a story or submit it to our WhatsApp Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on:
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- AsiaOne
From cash and gold to leaves: 3 women, 1 man charged over suspected involvement in spiritual 'blessing' scams, Singapore News
Three women and one man aged between 47 and 61 were arrested and charged on suspicion of involvement in multiple spiritual 'blessing' scams. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a press release on Friday (June 6) that they had received a report three days prior from a woman who was allegedly cheated by the three others in Chinatown. "The first woman had initially approached the victim seeking directions to a Chinese physician. A second woman then intervened, claiming knowledge of a suitable physician but explained that consultations could only occur outside the premises due to overcrowding," the release stated. This second woman wanted the victim to pose as her relative, and the trio went to meet the third woman, who claimed to be a Chinese physician and told the victim she was "experiencing misfortune due to negative spiritual elements". "The three woman and the victim then arranged to meet at Hong Lim Park and the victim was convinced to surrender $700 in cash and a gold necklace with a Guan Yin pendant to the 'Chinese physician', who then placed the items in a black plastic bag and performed a purported blessing ritual," the release read. She was instructed to leave the bag unopened for a month underneath her bed, but examined it the next day and discovered her possessions had been replaced by leaves. A similar incident occurred on June 4, where another victim was approached by two women in Clementi. Upon noticing she had cash in her bag, the women convinced her to place her belongings, amounting to $700, into a black trash bag for safekeeping. However, the victim later discovered that her money had gone missing. SPF conducted ground investigations and utilised CCTV footage to establish the identities of the three woman and another man believed to be working with them. They were arrested on June 5, and cash amounting to S$1,311 and 10,050 yuan (S$1,800) was seized from them as case exhibits. The four were charged on Friday for conspiracy to cheat under Section 420 and Section 109 of the Penal Code 1871, with the offence carrying a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine. "The police would like to remind members of the public to be wary of strangers who claim to provide spiritual help or blessing services. No legitimate religious practitioner will ask for your money or valuables to be surrendered for any blessing ritual," the press release read. "Members of the public should be vigilant and alert their elderly family members about such scams. "If approached by someone claiming you have bad luck or need spiritual cleansing, do not engage with them and call the police immediately." Members of the public with information on such scams can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at For more information on scams, they can visit or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. [[nid:718792]] drimac@
