Lalamove driver 'devastated' to lose $200 after accepting bogus job in scam, gets reimbursed only $2
A Lalamove driver lost almost $200 to a scammer after accepting a bogus job on the Lalamove app.
It happened in the early hours of March 18, 2024.
Asked why he decided to share his story now, Stomper Rino said: "I just want to bring this up as there have been many scams lately.
"I've been thinking whether to share or not. It's time to expose them because they keep coming up with ads inviting drivers to work for them."
It all started when he saw a job with a $140 cash commission on the Lalamove app at 2.23am. The client's name was "Antonio Lim Guan".
The Stomper said: "I didn't want to do this job because I've never done this kind of job before as the previous jobs I accepted were all paid online.
"But on that fateful night, no such jobs were available at that point of time. So I decided to take it up also as a learning experience.
"What's more it was on the Lalamove app. What could go wrong?"
It would be a lesson he wouldn't forget.
He recounted: "After accepting the job, the client messaged me through the app stating that it was confirmed. He then started to WhatsApp me through an Indonesian number. I didn't think much of it at that point of time, so I replied.
"First, he asked me to buy food at Al-Sahira Restaurant in Bedok which was quite near the place to where I needed to deliver. He asked me to pay first. He even asked me for a receipt, so he can pay me later and also mentioned he would tip me. It was my first time, so I agreed and paid for it."
The Stomper paid $23.80 for one egg prata, mee goreng and nasi goreng.
He was then asked to go to a 7-Eleven opposite the restaurant and buy drinks, potato chips and tissues amounting $5.75.
"Again, I didn't think much of it as I thought it was part of the process," said the Stomper.
"So after I bought everything using my own cash and money, he then told me that I needed to top up $155 in his Singtel Dash virtual card and he gave me the number to top up.
"I told him I didn't have enough cash and I asked him to use PayNow. He told me he was a tourist living in a friend's house and didn't have PayNow.
"I told him I really didn't have enough and he then told me, 'If that's the case, I will cancel all the orders that you paid for earlier.'
"I was a bit shocked and sad as all the items I had bought earlier couldn't be refunded and it was my hard-earn money. So I forked out $155 out of my own pocket and topped up the card for him.
"After the transaction went through, he still asked me to take all the receipts and claim from him later. I told him I was five minutes away from his location."
And that was the last contact the Stomper had with the client.
"From that moment onwards, he edited the number that I topped up earlier and went missing," said the Stomper. "Then I was stuck with all the food and drinks, which were non-refundable
"When I went to his location, there were nobody answering the door. I knock umpteen times at the door and even called, but no one was responding. I reached out to Lalamove help lines, but they were not really helpful at all."
The Stomper called the police, who arrived 45 minutes later and told him he had been scammed.
"I reach out to Lalamove with regards to this incident as I had the police case card and they said they will take about seven days to get back to me," said the Stomper.
"I told them it was urgent because the money I spent for everything amounted to almost $200. In the end, I was reimbursed only $2 plus by Lalamove and I didn't hear from them anymore.
"I was very stressed as I needed to return the money that I borrowed for the purchases that I made.
"Ever since then, I stopped working for Lalamove as I was very traumatised and I received no assistance at all from Lalamove. I am very devastated and disappointed as I lost all my hard-earned money."
What Lalamove says
In response to a Stomp query, a spokesperson for Lalamove said: "We are aware of the March 2024 incident and addressed it by engaging directly with the affected driver partner at that time.
"At Lalamove, we prioritise the safety and well-being of our driver partners. We continuously educate our drivers to avoid unusual orders and to report any suspicious activities through the Lalamove driver app."
The police told Stomp that investigations are ongoing.
Another Lalamove employee was similarly scammed in May 2024, reported Shin Min Daily News.
