PUBLISHED ONApril 02, 2026 1:09 PMBYSean LerA social media post by the Singapore Police Force's Hougang Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) on April Fool's Day is going viral, racking up over 270,000 views in just over a day.
The video features Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benjamin Cheah, a ground response force team leader at the NPC, literally "scamming" viewers thrice-in-a-row to send home the message that encounters online may not be what they appear to be.
ASP Cheah, 35, who appeared to be holding a mug at the start of the video, showed that it was actually another person doing so.
He went on to demonstrate that even a seemingly real voice talking to another person, may again turn out otherwise.
Finally, ASP Cheah revealed that the "person" seen in the video since the start was actually his reflection in the mirror.
But these mirrors the anatomy of a love scam where scammers look to befriend individuals who are seeking genuine relationships via dating websites or social media.
Scammers will claim to be someone with attractive or matching attributes before moving on to establish a bond and groom the victim.
"Beware of love scams. The people you meet online may not always be who they appear to be," the post's captions read.
And as some viewers shared in their comments, they missed the "red flags" such as how and where ASP Cheah's name tag was positioned as they were focused on his looks.
Several social media users highlighted that the approach was not only educational and useful, but "clever" in how it showed up the human vulnerability without being "too in the face".
Meanwhile, those who found ASP Cheah to be familiar are not wrong.
He first caught the attention of social media users in 2015 after he and a fellow police officer rescued a cat that was stuck on a six-storey-tall pine tree.
A photo of the cat and its rescuers, posted on the police's Facebook page, received over 10,000 likes.
Five years later, it was his physical fitness proficiency test results that took internet by storm.
Off work, ASP Cheah is also known for his social media presence online.
In 2025, internet love scams were among the top 10 scams of concern.
Close to 920 cases were reported, with losses amounting to $24.9 million. While it was ranked last in the list, the average amount of $27,202 lost per case, was ranked third.
According to the Digital for Life website, here are some ways to spot the signs and stop the scams:
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