The Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) announced on Tuesday evening, September 23, that it had received three new reports of alleged fraudulent bulk orders placed by individuals posing as representatives of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) or the ministry.
The Defense Ministry said in a Facebook post that they involved “the use of falsified procurement orders purportedly from MINDEF or the SAF”.
“We urge the public and all businesses to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the police,” the post added.
A screenshot of a three-page fake bulk order was included in the post.
Fake bulk orders targeting Singaporean businesses have been on the rise, with people posing as SAF members.
A bakery, a florist, and a hawker stand that prepared 150 packets of chicken and mutton biryani were among the victims, only to find out later that the order was a scam.
In previous cases, offenders called their victims, in contrast to the three recent cases, which involved forged order documents.
Six people have been taken into custody as of September 19 in relation to scams that involve impersonating SAF members. A 22-year-old woman who is one of the accused has been charged in court.
According to preliminary investigations, the suspects were allegedly following a scam syndicate’s instructions.
Scammers posing as employees of Singapore Chinese Girls’ School recently targeted three businesses, including a bedding company and a fruit vendor, in another variation of this scam.
