12 lodge police report over alleged scam

SINGAPORE - Twelve men have filed a police report against a woman in her 40s, claiming she cheated them of $710,000 in a cellphone scam.

An aviation maintenance serviceman told Shin Min Daily News he met the woman in June 2011 when she "recruited" him to sell mobile phones.

She promised that for every $2,400 mobile phone package he bought from her, he would receive three phones and could earn about $600 to $800 in total profit.

She transferred his share of the first few sales into his bank account, earning his trust, he claimed.

So he and a friend decided to be business partners with the woman, passing her $170,000 to open a mobile phone shop in Hougang.

The 35-year-old also roped in 10 other colleagues, who ploughed in $540,000 to buy the mobile phone packages. But in August last year, the payments stopped coming. By January, the serviceman realised he had been conned when he looked up the woman and found two women waiting for her to settle things too.

He enlisted two friends to pose as potential investors and alerted the police. In front of them, the woman promised she would pay everyone back his money.

But from that day on, she could not be contacted - her mobile line was no longer in service and she moved out from her flat.

On Thursday, the men decided to file a police report. "I thought this was a good investment, which is why I brought in my friends. I'm ashamed I have caused everyone to lose money," the serviceman told the Chinese paper.

Police confirmed that the report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

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