Enticed by online durian deals, a 50-year-old housewife in Singapore fell victim to what appears to be a malicious scam, losing nearly all of her life
Enticed by online durian deals, a 50-year-old housewife in Singapore fell victim to what appears to be a malicious scam, losing nearly all of her life savings.
In an interview with Chinese media outlet Shin Min Daily News, the woman, identified as Koh, recounted her experience after seeing advertisements for durians on Facebook. On May 4, 2023, her craving for the fruit led her to inquire about prices from an online seller named “TMZ Fresh.”
The seller responded within hours, promoting a special price of S$6 per kilogram for Mao Shan Wang durians and S$3 per kilogram for D24 durians. Koh found this deal enticing, as it was significantly lower than the typical S$12 per kilogram price during peak durian season in previous years.
Following the seller’s instructions, Koh was told to download a mobile app called “E2 Mall” and sign up as a member to place her order. A customer service agent, who spoke with a Malaysian accent, promised to include additional free durians as a bonus.
Despite her attempts to make online payments, Koh encountered repeated rejections. The agent then advised her to visit a bank to obtain a token. Following this guidance, she submitted her bank account details into the app on May 6.
When Koh attempted to reach the agent afterward, she discovered that both the agent’s Facebook and WhatsApp accounts had vanished. Initially dismissing this as a minor issue, she later logged into her banking app on the evening of May 7 and was horrified to find over S$50,000 missing from her account.
Her bank transaction history revealed two unauthorized transactions made on May 6—one for S$27,549 and another for S$26,231—totaling S$53,780, leaving her with only S$7.
Koh reported the incident to the police and alerted her bank, but unfortunately, it was too late to recover her funds. She suspects the scammers gained remote access to her phone to carry out the transactions, noting that her phone had begun heating up after she entered her bank details into the app.
In the aftermath, Koh purchased a new phone and changed her contact number to prevent further access by the scammers. She expressed regret for her actions, stating that these were the most expensive durians she had ever “bought” and lamented that she no longer wishes to eat the fruit.
The police have confirmed they are investigating the matter.
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