$300 for 8 Durians: Jurong Resident Claims She Was Duped by Door-to-Door Salesman

An elderly woman wanted to treat her family and friends to some durians but ended up paying nearly three times her expected amount. Ma Yulian, 84, from Jurong West, reported that a salesman deceived her into spending over $300 for eight durians.

On July 28, Ma was approached by a man in his 20s, who arrived at her home with a trolley of durians. “I wanted to buy durians for my son, so I asked for eight durians,” Ma recounted. The salesman claimed only one Musang King durian was left but assured her that the other durians were also of good quality.

Without inquiring about the prices, Ma handed over RM400 (S$120) after the salesman said he was from Malaysia and could accept ringgit. However, he quickly insisted that RM400 was insufficient. Ma then took out an additional $90 from her wallet, but the salesman continued to demand more money. In total, she ended up giving him another $100 from her savings and borrowing $30 from her husband without revealing what she was buying.

After the transaction, the salesman packed the durians into eight plastic boxes. Ma gave three of these boxes to her friend, who noticed that the durian flesh seemed overly moist.

Later, Ma began to suspect she had been scammed and, although she hasn’t filed a police report, she hopes her experience serves as a warning to others.

Durian Garden’s owner, Cai Chengcai, advised customers to purchase durians from local stalls to avoid scams, as these businesses are regulated, reducing the likelihood of price gouging. After examining photos of the durians Ma purchased, both Cai and Huang Chuyi, owner of Durian Kaki, confirmed that most were Thai varieties, not worth the amount Ma paid. For reference, a Musang King durian typically costs around $40, while a Thai durian is about $15.