Don't fall for this convincing travel scam
There are many scams out there today but a common travel scam has been successful because it preys on human compassion.
A woman from Singapore has warned of a scam in her hometown that has fooled many tourists and locals.
This scam is a spin-off of the common “lost-wallet” scam and involves two well-dressed people who claim they have lost their wallets and need money to get to a business meeting.
The couple even give tourists a fake business card to appear genuine.
The lady pretends to be the man’s “secretary” while the man focuses on charming their victims into giving him money to get to their important meeting.
The woman who posted the warning on social media, Shirley Low, fell for the con but became suspicious when she spotted the couple, who said they were Chinese, in a different area.
“The lady noted my hesitation, probably recognised me too and quickly alerted the guy and they made some excuses and walked very quickly away from the Japanese business man (who had difficulty understanding what he saying!)” she wrote.
“Hope someone can enlighten me on how we can catch them so that no more kind souls will have their money cheated.”
The post has attracted hundreds of comments from others who have been victims of this same couple.
“Damn it ... I encountered the same about two weeks ago at Parkroyal Pickering Hotel lobby,” Benny Fong commented.
“The couple said they are from Taiwan on a business trip but got cheated and got no cash to take cab and I replied you can book an uber which is cashless and I can call the police for you since you got cheated. After I said police, they turned away, which only then did I realise something was wrong.”
“They were spotted around Chinatown and Clark Quay too,” Kenneth Yeo commented.
“It was the same thing, dress smartly with gold jewellery and branded bags. They would say they are not scammers and wanted $20++ for food and transport. They would say something like: ‘Don’t worry, we are only people from China, lost and don’t have enough money.’”
“It’s horrible that these kind of people prey on others’ kindness and trust. Disgusting!!”
Have you ever been conned by the "lost wallet" scam before? Tell us in the comments below.