Scammers are everywhere nowadays with the reach of the Internet. Just ask those jokers who try to sell everything ranging from McDonald’s burgers to concert air on Carousell.
It may be human nature to want to get back at someone who wronged you, of course.
However, just like our mothers used to say, when you use fire to fight fire, chances are you’ll end up badly burnt instead – just as these two men have learned.
When You Don’t Get What You Paid For
On 25 Jan 2020, two men were sentenced to nine months jail each for assaulting another man with a screwdriver, who had previously scammed them.
Hou Ye, 35, and Wang Haibo, 39, were Chinese nationals who worked in the same manufacturing company here. Both pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous means and misappropriation of property.
They were also under charges of leaving their homes for non-essential purposes during the circuit breaker period – which did not stand between the two men and their cigarettes.
In May, the two coworkers contacted Mr Zhou, a delivery driver who was also a Chinese national via WeChat, wanting to purchase 50 cartons of contraband cigarettes from him.
They decided to meet up with him on the 12th at Block 609, Jurong West Street 65, to pick up the goods worth $1,200.
Mr Zhou, however, requested to meet Hou alone, so Hou told Wang to go home.
Already starting to sound sus.
Hou then called a Grab to take him to meet Zhou, but to his surprise, Zhou was already there waiting in the backseat of the car for him when it arrived.
The deal was sealed when Hou gave Zhou $1,100 in cash and transferred the remaining amount through WeChat.
Zhou then asked the driver to halt at the roadside before getting out and presenting a large carton covered in a black plastic bag to Hou, leaving right after.
Hou realised he’d been scammed when he checked the goods after Zhou had left and found that the cartons contained bottles of mineral water instead of the cigarettes he’d originally wanted.
Perhaps the scammer was just someone trying to tell smokers to drink more water instead of smoking, in his own weird way.
Better Than Revenge
Angry that Zhou didn’t respond to any of his attempts to contact him, Hou decided to hatch his own plan alongside Wang to scam the scammer and give him a surprise too.
The next day, Wang approached Zhou on the messaging app, asking to buy more cigarettes. They hoped to lure him into a trap upon meeting up, where they would make him return the money.
Zhou may be a little too trusting for a scammer, for he agreed to meet Wang just five days later at Block 705, Jurong West Street 71 to make the trade.
Hou left his house that night to surprise Zhou with two screwdrivers in handy.
When the two men reached the meet up point, they spotted Zhou already standing there with a black plastic bag in hand, similar to the one he had given them previously.
Wang went up to Zhou and asked to check the goods first before paying, but Zhou refused and turned around to leave – and that’s when he spotted Hou behind him.
Shocked, Zhou started to run away and threw the black plastic bag at Hou who was giving chase. Hou managed to catch up and demanded for his money back.
If a Hong Kong drama scene comes to your mind, you’re not alone.
Zhou then feigned ignorance, saying he didn’t know what Hou was talking about, causing the two men to wrestle and the scammer to fall on the ground.
He asked if Hou had recognised the right person, but it only enraged Hou even more, who then whipped out the screwdrivers and began attacking Zhou’s head with the back of it while he was on the ground, causing him to bleed.
Finally relenting, Zhou said that he would contact someone to get the money here while holding up his handphone, which Hou swatted away for fear that he might call for assistance or the police.
Wang, who was looking out for his friend at the time, told Hou that they should settle the issue quickly.
Zhou was then allowed to stand up, but the tenacious man ran away towards the main road instead, and unfortunately disappeared from sight when the two men followed.
However, his handphone was picked up by Wang, who also disposed of the screwdriver in a nearby bin. Hou then took the device back home, switching it off and leaving it on top of a letterbox where police would seize it later.
It’s unclear if Zhou will also be prosecuted for scamming others and selling illegal cigarettes, however.
He was allowed three days of sick leave after seeking treatment at Ng Teng Fong hospital for the injuries sustained to his head, including cuts on his scalp.
For causing hurt by dangerous means, the duo could have been jailed up to seven years, fined, caned, or received any combination of the three. They could have faced a jail term of up to two years or fined, or both, for pleading guilty to misappropriation.
To know more about scams in Singapore, watch these videos we’ve done in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force (and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):
Featured Image: rakimm / Shutterstock.com
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
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