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 Ng, a real estate agent who goes by @vitrealestate on Instagram, on Sept 17.
Saves foreigner from alleged scam
According to the accompanying caption, Ng had noticed a woman sitting opposite her on the train engaged in a “rather sus video call.”
The video shared by Ng shows the woman in the leftmost seat holding her phone up to her face.
Ng 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 Ng 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,” Ng can be heard saying.
However, Ng 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,” Ng 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, Ng shared a photo she took of the woman’s phone, which showed an unknown email address alongside the Singapore Police Force logo.
Ng 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, Ng 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.
Ng 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.
Speaking to Stomp, Ng said the incident happened on Sept 16 during her commute on the North-South Line.
Ng recalled seeing the woman in a distressed state while answering the call, which was audible despite her being seated in the opposite row.
“I approached her because I felt it was the right thing to do,” said Ng, adding that she recorded the interaction as she wanted to spread awareness and remind people that scams can happen to anyone.
As the woman was a foreigner, Ng said she understood why the woman was fearful when she received a call from someone claiming to be a Government official.
“I was very fearful as well about approaching a stranger like this, but thank God for giving me the courage,” she said.
‘Thank you for stepping in’: Netizens
Netizens quickly commended Ng for her quick thinking and intervention.
“Thank you for stepping in!” a user wrote.
“Bless your heart,” another said.
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