Woman saves foreigner from alleged scam after overhearing ‘sus’ video call on MRT
Having overheard a suspicious video call on the MRT, a quick-thinking passenger intervened and apparently stopped a foreign worker from falling victim to a scam.
The person on the other end of the call had seemingly demanded the foreingn worker’s bank details while posing as the police.
Footage of the encounter was shared by Olivia Ong, a real estate agent who goes by @vitrealestate on Instagram, on Sept 17.
Saves foreigner from alleged scam
According to the accompanying caption, Ong had noticed a woman sitting opposite her on the train engaged in a “rather sus video call.”
The video shared by Ong shows the woman in the leftmost seat holding her phone up to her face.
Ong said the situation immediately caught her attention as the caller was loud and “very rude”, while the woman appeared visibly nervous. She also recalled hearing the caller shouting “bank card“ several times.
Seconds into the video, the woman takes out her passport and raises it to her phone, seemingly to show the caller.
The video then shows Ong standing up and approaching the woman, before repeatedly pressing the hang-up button on the latter’s phone and telling her it was a scam.
“It’s a scam. It’s a scam,” Ong can be heard saying.
However, Ong said the woman did not seem to understand what was happening as she had approached her too abruptly.
The realtor is later seen typing a message on the woman’s phone via ChatGPT, likely to convey her intentions.
“Don’t show this to anyone,” Ong said while pointing to the woman’s passport. She also advised the woman not to share her bank details or personal particulars with anyone.
Towards the end of the video, Ong shared a photo she took of the woman’s phone, which showed an unknown email address alongside the Singapore Police Force logo.
Ong also showed a screenshot of a “little chat” she had with the other woman, in which the woman thanked her for intervening.
‘I’m glad I did what I did’
In the caption, Ong noted that the woman is from the Philippines and had only been in Singapore for three weeks seeking employment.
“She didn’t expect to encounter scams like this here, and genuinely thought she had done something wrong when the ‘police’ called her,” she wrote.
Ong admitted that she felt a little awkward approaching a stranger on the train in such a situation, but said she was “glad” she did what she did.
“You never know when a small act of courage can make a difference,” she said.
Stomp has reached out to vitrealestate for comment.
‘Thank you for stepping in’: Netizens
Netizens quickly commended vitrealestate for her quick thinking and intervention.
“Thank you for stepping in!” a user wrote.
“Bless your heart,” another said.
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
