At a time when jobs are hard to come by and being a couch potato is the safe way to live, it seems that even the ambition of criminals has plummeted.
In the good old days, that is, before Covid-19, criminals used to impersonate police officers and even high-ranking officials.
They’d then scam someone into giving them personal details or money.
This year, though, one teenager decided to impersonate a very different sort of officer, one whose job is to ensure you’re sitting far enough from the uncle at the coffee shop.Â
Teen Arrested for Impersonating Safe-Distancing Officer in Westgate
A 19-year-old teenager has been arrested for allegedly impersonating a Covid-19 safe distancing enforcement officer.
Two other men, aged 20 and 35, who may have been involved in the offence, are assisting with police investigations.
The authorities received a report on 17 Oct about three men who were suspected of impersonating safe distancing enforcement officers near Westgate mall.
After carrying out their investigations, the authorities discovered that the three men had claimed to be from an organisation named “SG United”.
That sounds more like a football club, but the men had likely intended it to sound like a government agency.
The police then conducted ground enquiries and further investigations, and eventually managed to identify the three suspects.
And surprise, surprise, SG United was not an actual government organisation.
“It was ascertained that they were not hired by any government agencies and were not authorised to perform safe distancing enforcement duties,” the police said.
Only the 19-year-old was arrested, but investigations against all three men are ongoing.
If the teenager is convicted of cheating, he could be fined or imprisoned for up to five years, or both.
Easy to Spot Fake Officers
The good thing is that it’s pretty easy to spot fake officers.
As SPF reminded the public, Â safe distancing enforcement officers and ambassadors will be wearing a pass of some sort, whether it’s their respective passes or the SG Clean Ambassador pass.
Not just that, some enforcement officers may also wear a red armband.
Even if impersonators manage to somehow get their hands on these passes and armbands, there’s one very simple way to foil their scamming plans:Â don’t give them any money.Â
While enforcement officers, like police officers, are authorised to issue composition fines for breaches of safe distancing and safe management measures, notices for fines will always be issued in hard copy either on site or through mail.
You will never be asked by an officer to make a cash payment for a fine, nor asked to provide bank account details or one-time passwords.
If someone comes up to you claiming they’re a safe distancing officer and demands these things, report them to the authorities immediately.
Featured Image: threebeanies / Shutterstock.com
If you watch at least 10 minutes of brain rot content daily, you must know this:
Read Also:
- Monks Allegedly Got into Physical Conflict With Tissue Sellers Outside Waterloo Street Temple During CNY
- AETOS Security Officers Jailed for Taking Video & Images With Loaded Gun at Woodlands Checkpoint
- Everything About the Flu Vaccine You Are Probably Keen to Know Now
- Everything About HDB New Reflective Paint That’ll Reduce Temperature by 2°C
- Demand for Flu Vaccine Skyrocketed in Hong Kong & Taiwan After Barbie Hsu’s Passing
- What Is Flu-Related Pneumonia, and How Often Is It Fatal?
- SPF Wins the Internet with CNY Song That Features Police Officers from Hong Kong
Advertisements
