Chef loses RM2,500 in scratch-and-win scam

Thursday April 25

YONG Li Leng thought she had hit the jackpot when a well-dressed salesman approached her at the Tesco Extra hypermarket in Ipoh early last month.

The salesman, who introduced himself as Low, promised Yong huge rewards if she were to participate in a scratch-and-win contest.

“After I scratched a card given to me, I was told that I had won a gold jade mattress, which had to be collected from the salesman’s office.

“On reaching the office in Bercham, I was told by another salesman that I had to pay RM6,500 for the mattress,” she said during a press conference here yesterday.

Yong, who works as a chef, did not have enough money to pay for the mattress at that time.

“The second salesman tried to convince me to borrow RM2,500 from his friend to pay for the mattress, which he said could be sold off for more than RM10,000.

“I decided not to borrow the money and gave him only RM2,500 out of my own pocket,” she said.

Yong was given a water filter as collateral and was told to pay the remaining RM4,000 in two weeks to be able to get the mattress.

“After five days, I took my husband along to the office to inspect the mattress first but discovered that it had no brand, manufacturer’s address and warranty.

“I demanded that they return my RM2,500, which the company then promised to hand over in two weeks’ time,” she said.

Yong finally realised the scam when she went to the office after the deadline and was told to wait for another two weeks.

“I lodged a police report and complained to the Consumer Claims Tribunal but have so far been unsuccessful in getting back my money,” she said.

Bercham Barisan Nasional coordinator Lim Huey Shan, who is assisting Yong, said he received another complaint regarding a scam by the same company by a housewife named Tan Siew Peng.

“Luckily, Tan did not fall for the scam because she contacted her brother while on the way to the salesman’s office.

“Her brother asked his friends to accompany Tan to the office, where they noticed something amiss and called the police,” he said.

Lim advised the public not to fall for such scratch-and-win scams that are usually targeted at women who are alone at public places.

“These unscrupulous salesmen would approach the women at shopping malls and banks while promising all sorts of grand prizes and money for participating in their contests.

“Once the victim falls for the scam, the salesmen would then request for exorbitant fees for the ‘prizes’ which might not exist or are not worth the money paid,” he added.

Elderly lady cheated in scratch-and-win scam

JOHOR BARU: A 76-year-old woman who was on her way to visit her son in Singapore lost RM13,300 at the Johor Baru City Square in a scratch-and-win scam.

The victim, Chong Lee Yin, said two men approached her as she was walking along the pedestrian bridge from the Customs and Immigration Quarantine Complex (CIQ) to the mall.

“They approached me with a coupon and told me that I have a chance of winning attractive prizes,” she said.

Chong related her experience at a press conference organised by Johor Baru MCA Youth chief Kua Song Tuck.

She added that she was told to pay RM8,600 to claim the prizes she had won.

“I told them I did not have that much money with me and some of them have even followed me all the way to Singapore to claim payment,” she said. 

“I had to fork out RM3,700 more as I had won big prizes,” she said, adding that the men had also asked her for an extra RM1,000 as ‘ang pow’ money which they claimed would be used as school fees.

“I gave them RM500 as they told me they were poor,” she said.

Chong added that she was given a mattresses, a leg massager, microwave oven and a water filter.

In an unrelated case, 44-year-old Ng Wai Leng alleged that she became RM14,075 poorer in a similar scam on January 17.

She said two men in their 20’s approached her and offered her lucky draw coupons and shopping vouchers which could be used at shopping malls in Singapore.

“When I received the coupons, I was told that I won a ‘special prize’ and was later taken to their office in Taman Molek,” she said.

Ng added that the men had even showed her newspaper cuttings featuring past winners.

“They showed clippings of Singaporean actors and policemen who won prizes before and I was convinced by it,” she said.

Ng added that she had forked out RM 14,075 as advance payment for the items.

Commenting on the cases, Kua said that the Johor Baru City Square had put up banners to warn patrons about the scratch and win scam around the area.

“Its one way to raise awareness among the public especially the Singaporeans who have never heard of such scams here,” he said.

The MCA Youth chief added that the number of people being duped into paying for the scratch and win scam is increasing.

He said that MCA had received around 13 complaints this month.

When contacted, police had also confirmed that reports have been lodged and the cases are being investigated.

http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2f2011%2f5%2f4%2fsouthneast%2f8565647&sec=southneast

Malaysian trio, charged with cheating in a scratch-and-win lottery scam, jump bail

By Khushwant Singh

Three Malaysian men, charged with abetting in a conspiracy to cheat two women in a scratch-and-win lottery scam, failed to appear at a court hearing on Friday.

Warrants of arrest were issued for Gan Ee Sing, 47, Lee Hao Yi and Tay Chee Boon, both 23. They were to stand trial for allegedly working with a fourth unknown person to dupe up to seven Singaporean women into believing that they had to pay between $6,750 and $12,700 as "GST" for a car they purportedly won.

They had pleaded guilty on Jan 15 but retracted their guilty pleas when they were to be sentenced on Feb 13 claiming that they had been hoodwinked by the prosecutor.

Lawyer Ismail Hamid, who was to represent Lee and Tay, said that he last saw them when the case was mentioned on March 15. They were to come to his office several days later to discuss the matter but did not appear.

Scratched but no win thanks to scammers

On January 9, 2013,

JOHOR BARU: A 30-year-old Malaysian sales executive working in Singapore claims that she has no knowledge about the scratch and win scam in Johor due to her busy working schedule.

The victim, who only wanted to be known as Chu, who was conned RM6,950, said she only comes back to Johor Baru once a month to shop.

While crossing the pedestrian bridge linking a shopping complex to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex here on Dec 5 on her way back to Singapore, she was approached by two young men.

“They asked me to pick an envelope and as soon as I opened it, they excitedly congratulated me saying that I was in the running to win a Toyota car or a vacation package,” she told a press conference organised by Johor Baru MCA Youth chairman Kua Song Tuck here recently.

She added that they told her that she could only open another envelope at their office in Taman Sentosa to determine whether she had won the car or vacation.

Chu said upon arriving at the office they asked her to pay RM10,300 in order to claim the prize and drove her to a nearby shopping mall to withdraw RM 6,950 from four credit cards.

When Chu returned to the office the men took her money claiming that they only wanted the serial number of the currencies.

“When I realised that I had only won a jade mattress and a water treatment system, I asked them to return my money but they refused,” she said adding that they promised to return her money within three days.

Chu lodged a police report on Dec 6 at Taman Pelangi police station, and sought help from MCA to retrieve her money.

Kua said that such scams had been around since 2006 and that MCA has gone all out to curb the problem.

“Although the number of scratch and win scam cases had decreased throughout the years, many people still approached us with the problem,” he said.

Kua was even more furious when he came to know that the office of the two men was located in an area that he is overlooking.

“I will step down from my post as the MCA Youth chairman if I am unable to close down their office at Taman Sentosa within two months,” he said.

Meanwhile, at press time, Johor Baru South OCPD ACP Zainuddin Yaakob could not be reached to confirm on the case.

-The Star-

Turning the table on a pushy scratch-and-win agent

29 February 2012

MUCH has been written and said about the notorious scratch-and-win scams. Many losses and heartaches have been reported too, from unsuspecting victims who tried to bite off more than they could chew.

But the con men running such syndicates are still around trying to fool the masses.

Scratch a card and pay this much and you'll get a car, a motorcycle or the humble refrigerator.

Of course, most will end up bringing a blanket or a mattress home after paying  tens of thousands of ringgit or Singaporean dollars.

They were just "unlucky" and  placed their bets on the wrong cards.

Or perhaps, Lady Luck had not smiled upon them from the start due to their own foolishness.

And they were  fleeced right under their noses.

But thanks to the ongoing campaign against these dubious contests, the public now have a better picture of them.

Previously, potential victims might take the time to entertain the a scratch-and-win agent until they were duly conned into taking part in the contest.

Now, a single shove is more than enough to leave an aggressive agent  stunned and keep them at bay.

Such a scene took place at the bridge connecting  JB Sentral and City Square shopping mall.

The bridge is one of the hotspots in the city where scratch-and-win agents lurk.

The agents were very young indeed.

They were either fresh school-leavers or college students working part-time for pocket money.

 They flashed smiles, patted the shoulders of potential victims and tried to lie they way into the hearts and minds of the passers-by crossing the bridge.

 Their victims even include those from the island republic across the causeway. They too, recorded heavy losses after falling into the trap of the scratch-and-win con men.

 Many still have yet to grasp the simple logic -- you don't have to pay for the prizes you have won.

 Back to the bridge. An old lady who had seen the antics of the agents decided to make a dash for it.

She was grimacing and limping from an injury under a yellowed bandage wrapped around her left knee.

 One of the agents, a female of about 19 years old, spotted the old lady trying to make her way through the crowd.

She was panting but wary of her predator fixing her gaze on her.

 The agent then tried to stop her. Talking loudly, the agent with a stack of scratch-and-win cards in hand, tried to convince the elderly lady that  she was not running a scam.

 The old lady  gave a deep sigh. Perhaps, there was something else that was hurting her, other than the injury.

But the agent was not going to let her prey go so easily.

 What she did next may well have been the most aggressive and desperate move pulled by an  agent which also caught the attention of passers-by.

 The agent tried to stop the old lady by blocking her way and spoke loudly in her face, reiterating that the contest was not a scam.

 The old lady, who was obviously annoyed, did what most people would have done when faced with such hurdles while crossing the bridge -- she shoved the agent aside with her right arm and shoulder.

 She did it with so much gusto that  the other agents who were nearby immediately toned down their approach and, for a while, kept quiet as if to ruminate the situation.

 The female agent was reeling with shock as it was probably her first encounter with such an incident.

Most of the people she had met before would probably have spoken softly or waved their hands and politely declined from participating in the contest.

 But she what did not know was that the public had grown tired of such scams, the people who run  the scams and how aggressive and rude some of the agents had become   in their effort to sell their products.

There would be less people conned into taking part in such contests if more of them behaved like the gutsy old lady

Scratch-and-win syndicate still at it

14 January 2013

SWINDLERS: Scam artists are preying on the public at a pedestrian bridge linked to Johor Baru City Square

JOHOR BARU: MEMBERS of a scratch-and-win syndicate are preying on  people who use the pedestrian bridge linking Johor Baru City Square to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex here.

Their modus operandi is to approach passersby and show them a lucky draw coupon which they claim offers attractive prizes.

It has been reported that such scratch-and-win scams have resulted in losses totalling more than RM25 million, from 2006 to last December.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 cases have been reported and victims have lost between RM5,000 and RM108,000 each.

To deter the syndicate, the management of City Square has put up stickers and posters to warn the public not to fall prey to the scratch-and-win schemes.

Johor Baru City Square assistant manager of security Kelvin Lee said the posters and stickers served as reminders to the public, especially Singaporeans, against fall for such scams.

"We have taken all the necessary steps to warn the public.

"That is all we can do," he said.

"We do not have the right to stop the syndicate members from operating at the bridge which leads to JB Sentral.

"Our hope is that the stickers and posters, which are in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Chinese are sufficient to make people more alert and prevent them from getting cheated."

Lee added that his security team could only take action against the syndicate members if violence was involved.

Johor Baru MCA youth chairman Kua Song Tuck, who highlighted the matter in the media recently, said the political party had set up a special task force in 2006 to monitor the scams.

"After the squad was formed, there was a decrease in the number of cases reported.

"However, in spite of the numerous awareness campaigns, the public continues to be susceptible to such scams," Kua said.

A 30-year-old victim, who only wanted to be known as Cindy, said she was approached by syndicate members who claimed that she had the chance win a new luxury car.

"However, to win this prize, they said I must first give them RM10,300.

"They took me to some automated-teller machines where I withdrew a total of RM6,950, using four of my credit cards.

"I only realised that I had been cheated when a representative of the company later offered me another prize in replacement of the car and even asked me for additional payment.

"I declined to accept the replacement item.

And, now, not only do I not have a new car, I also have to settle the credit card payments every month," she said.

Scam giving JB a bad name

28 March 2013

THE Singapore police revealed an alarming number of their nationals who fell victim to the scratch-and-win syndicate in Johor Baru.

Last year, 89 Singaporeans were cheated of RM1.05 million by members of the syndicate.

The latter operates at the overhead bridge linking JB Sentral and Johor Baru City Square.

On average, each of the victims was cheated of RM12,000.

Most certainly, the number of Malaysian victims are even higher.

Recently, a Malaysian was assaulted by syndicate members at the overhead bridge.

This was because he ignored the cajoling of one of the members.

The scratch-and-win scam is nothing new.

But the more the number of people know about it, the more the number of victims.

The authorities have put up huge buntings at the overhead bridge.

Even the floor of the overhead bridge towards the Johor Baru City Square has a huge poster to remind pedestrians to avoid the people behind the scam.

Despite these measures, syndicate members continue to prey on potential victims at the overhead bridge.

They seem to know the schedule of the enforcement officers at the site.

The syndicate members are basically those in their early 20s and probably school drop-outs.

They are casually attired and their only weapon are their deceptive tongues.

They will sweet-talk their potential victims until there is no turning back but to surrender their hard-earned money, or even their pensions, just for some inferior products which they believe to be superior.

Recently, another group of people, probably from the same syndicate, was spotted at the Jalan Station-Jalan Wong Ah Fook junction.

The syndicate will usually target areas with high pedestrian volume.

All sorts of tactics will be deployed to convince their potential victims to part with their money.

On Jan 19 this year, there was a Singaporean victim who was promised media coverage by the Singapore press if she won the first prize.

To cut her story short, she was cheated of RM4,920.

The scratch-and-win syndicate is a national shame.

Preying for potential victims at the southern gateway is as good as setting a trap for tourists.

The Tourism Ministry has been working hard to attract tourists into the country.

However, the traumatic experience of some of the tourists who fell prey to such a scam will certainly do the rounds when they return to their respective countries.

Eventually, it will be the city of Johor Baru which will earn a bad reputation.

Google "Johor Baru" and "scratch-and-win syndicate" and you will know what I mean.

Perhaps it is time to have a police booth in each of the operating areas of the syndicate. This may be the only way to bust it.