Mark Lee might be a natural comedic genius on screen, but off screen, he’s just like everyone else:

A normal man who’s out to protect his family’s interests.

So when told that his sick daughter’s image was used as a scam’s cover, he reacted accordingly.

Okay so maybe that’s not what he said (because technically he’s a celebrity and sane man and all), but that’s what I would have done if I were in his shoes.

Probably.

The Singaporean Scam

Singapore is filled with many scams: from the fake friendzone scam like this (but watch it lah, the police has a message)…

(Since you’re here, subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more informative videos lah)

To a real scam like what Mark Lee has to face.

Just last week, Mr Lee and his wife, Ms Catherine Ng were alerted to a Facebook post soliciting donations of up to $200,000.

And while that might have been acceptable (even compassionate) under generic circumstances, it definitely isn’t when the face of the donation is none other than a picture of their own daughter, Calynn, in a hospital ward.

Incidentally, Calynn, the youngest of their three children, was diagnosed in May with glomerulonephritis, a medical condition that concerns the kidneys.

And naturally, Mr Lee was furious. In an interview with The New Paper in Mandarin, he said: “Of course, I am very angry. Even if it’s not my child’s photo, it is a detestable, disgusting thing to do.”

Thus far, he can’t be sure whether anyone has been scammed by the post, as the friend who alerted them in the first place was unable to relocate the post.

But wait, how…

Did the scammer get a hold of the picture in the first place?

Well according to the Singaporean Ah Ge, the picture in the alleged scam supposedly stemmed from a Facebook page that Ms Ng and Mr Lee had established last month to “share experiences and get support from others dealing with the same condition.”

Initially hesitant to publicise his daughter’s illness, he said that he did not regret the decision to eventually do so, as it had been started with “good intentions”.

However, if there’s anything this episode has taught, it would be to be more careful when posting personal information in the future.

“It never crossed my mind that posting her photo would create an opportunity for people to use it in a scam,” Ms Ng said.

Online scams

As a wise old man once said: “When crossing the traffic light, don’t just see the light. Look to see whether someone’s behind you waiting to push you in front of a truck. Because that’s how the world works, little one.”

And while that particular quote doesn’t have the strongest link to this article, it fits the overall theme really well:

Online fundraising is compassionate and all, but like everything else, it can be abused for one’s ill intentions. As Mr Andy Sim, director of digital innovation at the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) said:

“At NVPC, we advocate and promote informed giving. This means encouraging the beneficiaries to disclose where the donation is going to, who it is helping and what impact it will make. At the same time, we urge the donors to research the beneficiaries’ claims and find out more about the cause they are supporting.”

And it might be a Captain Obvious thing, but according to crowdfunding platform Ray of Hope Initiative (ROHI) director Tan En, “such donation scams can have a negative effect on genuine appeals”.

“The crowdfunding sector here is very small. There are only a few platforms, so whenever there is a scandal, people get sceptical.”

But here’s one nifty trick to tell things apart:

Tranfer money directly to a bank account? Be careful.

Offer compassion, not milk it

A donation is for a good cause, and it’s sad that people will want to abuse it. But of course, just like the birds and the bees, the world works in mysterious ways. So I guess you really do get different types of people in this world.

Nevertheless, keep your eyes big big and be careful when donating, because you don’t want to inadvertently pay for some douchebag’s meal at a restaurant. Incidentally, the four big crowdfunding platforms here are Give.asia, Giving.sg, ROHI and SimplyGiving. Just a list to keep track of.

And well, try to steer away from Facebook, because while some are definitely legitimate, some are also definitely illegitimate.

Unless it’s Goody Feed, of course. We are 100% heart, honesty and rainbows cooked in a vat of Kit Kats. So you can definitely trust us.

Also us:

In fact, we’re in the midst of doing a video about Facebook Love Scam, in collaboration with our friendly police. Do subscribe to our YouTube channel so you won’t miss it!

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