I‘ve always been wary of people knocking on my door. Judge me all you want, but there’s just something about them that screams ‘fishy’.
“Hi, I’ve got some fresh cod fishes here,” one person once called through my door. “You wanna get one? 3 for $100! 5 for $300!”
And that’s not even including that odd bunch which is currently knocking on my door.
“Can you open up already? You asked us over right? DUDE, ARE YOU LISTENING TO US?”
They did sound familiar, but I chose to trust my instincts. Don’t open.
And as I scrolled through my local social media site (they’re still making a scene), I encountered an article headline that goes:
“Man Who Posed As HDB Contractor & Allegedly Punched Elderly Man Arrested For Cheating Over 19 Victims”
And right there and then, I knew that I was right to trust my instincts.
“We’re your friends, dickhead!”
Man Who Posed As HDB Contractor & Allegedly Punched Elderly Man Arrested For Cheating Over 19 Victims
According to Stomp, a 56-year-old man who posed as a Housing & Development Board (HDB) contractor and requested for residents to pay for ‘repair works’ has been apprehended for his suspected involvement in a chain of cheating cases.
The case was first put to light when Stomper Vernon shared his personal experience with Stomp.
On 22 March, the 56-year-old man had visited Vernon’s unit at Block 185 Toa Payoh Central to proffer patchwork services for the ceiling.
Vernon, however, turned down the man, who in turn approached the neighbour.
“The man then went to my next-door unit and talked his way around for about 15 minutes.”
Apparently, the man “was asking for a deposit of $100 and a further $200 the next day for work to be done.”
“Eventually, my 76-year-old neighbour came over to my front door and asked me if the proposition was genuine,” the Stomper recounted.
“As I felt I owed a duty to my neighbour, I replied that he should be careful and check with the authorities before committing himself.
“At this point, the man raised his voice, saying I shouldn’t get involved. He started cursing me and my 93-year-old mother, who was standing behind me.
“When I raised my voice back, he spat at my face.
“His actions angered me. I took the keys to open the gate to my main door, by which time the man had made his way into the lift to go down to the ground level.
“I raced down the staircase and confronted him as he was leaving the lift.
“At this point, he threw a punch at me, the force of which caused me to land on my bottom on the steps of the staircase.”
While 72-year-old Vernon managed to “fence off” off the worst of the punch, he still suffered a swollen palm in the process.
Vernon’s neighbour, who was following behind, then called the police. By the time the cops arrived, however, the perpetrator has fled.
Subsequent arrest
After the incident first blew up, an HDB spokesman clarified that the person is not from HDB.
“We would like to clarify that the man does not work for HDB and HDB did not appoint him to carry out any works in HDB flats.”
Following that, yesterday (2 April 2019), the police expressed that a 56-year-old man has been apprehended for cheating more than 19 victims.
Yes, 19.
For apparently, Vernon’s case wasn’t actually the first. Between March 2018 and March 2019, the police had received several reports about how the man posed as an HDB-appointed contractor and reportedly scammed victims into making deposits ranging from $100 to $300 for repair works.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the man was neither authorised nor appointed by HDB for such works.”
On 1 April, the man was nabbed after officers from Bedok Police Division identified him through follow-up investigations. He will be charged in court on 3 April for cheating, and if found guilty he may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
So… should you still beware of door-knockers?
Well, simply put, yes.
While the 56-year-old is definitely not lounging around with his fake identity anymore, there’s no guarantee that there won’t be others trying (or attempting to) the same trick.
Indeed, the police have reminded members of the public to be wary of persons who may be posing as HDB-appointed contractors, officers from other government agencies or staff from private companies.
“They should always ask for verification details such as official staff passes from the agency/company, and if in doubt, call the agency/company to seek further verification,” police said.
That’s right; be safe people, for you never know who that person knocking on your door is…
Even if he calls himself your friend.
“I’m really your friend you **** we’ve been hanging out since secondary school you ****tard!”
Over in TikTok, there’s a drama involving property agents that’s caused by us. Here’s what happened:
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