Scammers pose as school staff and make bulk orders from restaurants, retailers: At least $52k lost since May 2025
A type of scam involving fake bulk orders is re-emerging, with at least five cases reported since May incurring total losses of at least $52,000.
In a statement on July 27, police said the scam variant targets the renovation, food and beverage, retail, and service industries, in which scammers typically pose as teachers or staff from academic institutions in Singapore.
Scammers would call or message victims, pretending to be customers making bulk orders or reservations.
They would request additional items, specific brands of items that the targeted businesses do not carry, or order quantities that the businesses are unable to fulfill on short notice.
The scammers would then recommend a fake supplier, also a scammer, for victims to buy the items from.
They would persuade victims to provide payment to the 'supplier' by providing fake payment documentation, such as screenshots, to convince the victims that they had made partial payment of the bulk order in advance.
This tactic is used to persuade the victims to provide payment for the orders placed with the “supplier”.
Victims would realise they have been scammed when they do not receive any payment from the fake customers, when the fake suppliers fail to deliver the foods, or when both the "customer" and "supplier" become uncontactable.
The police advise businesses to verify customers' identities, avoid making advance payments or deposits to new suppliers, and to arrange to meet suppliers and pay only upon delivery of the goods.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield helpline at 1799.
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