PUBLISHED ONApril 13, 2026 1:47 PMBYSean LerThey say imitation is the best form of flattery, and this seems to be the case for Hougang Neighbourhood Police Centre's (NPC) now-viral and much-talked about anti-scam video, with at least two of Taiwan's police districts recreating Mandarin versions of it.
The original video, published on April 1, featured 35-year-old Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benjamin Cheah, and it got over 850,000 views on Facebook at the time of this story's publication.
On April 8, Taiwan's Banqiao Police posted a strikingly similar version featuring a male officer, while Kaohsiung Police's criminal investigation department featured a female officer.
Both videos have received over 200,000 views on Facebook as at Monday (April 13).
@asiaone Perhaps imitation is the best form of flattery? Your call, @Hougang NPC. #sgnews #Singapore #Taiwan #Police #ViralVideo ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Since then, several Taiwanese netizens have raised concerns about plagiarism and copyright, including not crediting the source.
Facebook user Rex Lin wrote: "There's good intention here but this is simply recreating someone else's content. I'd suggest that you obtain consent from the Singapore Police Force and include the necessary attribution."
On Instagram, user Natalie's comment that it is not ideal to plagiarise someone's else work received over 180 reactions.
"As a Taiwanese living in Singapore, I feel second-hand embarrassment by just looking at the video," wrote Instagram user Kyngchh.
But all may be well, with ASP Cheah himself commenting on both posts.
He wrote on Banqiao Police's Instagram post: "Well done friends from Taiwan! Awesome! Friends from Taiwan police!"
His comment received nearly 1,000 likes. ASP Cheah also left a similar comment on KPCID's Instagram post.
Singapore-based digital creator Karen tried to ease tension on Banqiao Police's comments wall.
She said: "They say, imitation is the best form of flattery!"
[[nid:732926]]
No part of this story can be reproduced without the permission of AsiaOne.
