A former sales associate of a digital lock company who is said to have stolen $100,000 that customers gave him as payment for orders and installations was arrested on Thursday (Mar 31), the police said.
My Digital Lock Pte Ltd, which is based in Northpoint Bizhub, posted several times on its Facebook page throughout the week that a former sales associate named Travis Ow, 22, who had worked at the firm’s Bukit Batok showroom, had run off with the money.
The company even offered a $5000 reward for anyone who would identify the former staff and turn him over to the police.
However, the police were able to establish Ow’s identity and arrested him on Thursday, The Straits Times reported late on Friday night.
Mr Ronn Teo, 32, the company’s founder, put up a 9.5-minute video on My Digital Lock’s Facebook page on Tuesday (Mar 29), addressing his former employee’s misdeeds.
The company found out that he had taken the payments for himself when a number of customers said they had put in orders but did not get invoices from the company. Some said they tried to contact Mr Ow, but could not reach him.
The company filed a police report over the stolen amounts, as did several customers who had been clients of Ow.
Between 30 and 40 customers were affected by Ow’s scheme, said Mr Teo, who also said Ow had been fired by the company.
Photos of Ow were also posted on the company’s FB page, and customers were warned not to give him any money, as the former staffer allegedly took customers’ “cash deposit, full payment and balance”.
My Digital Lock alleged on Mar 29 post that Ow issued fake invoices with erroneous customer details and offered special discounts for customers who made purchases outside the company’s showroom.
My Digital Lock also advised people not to send any money to Ow via PayNow: “Anything he promise you will not come true as many customers are looking for him,” the company added in its post.
“Hari raya is coming, our company wishes to assist all victim to complete your projects.”
Mr Teo promised in the video he uploaded that the company will fulfil the orders customers filed under Ow, but asked that customers file a police report. He also asks customers to contact the company so that their invoices may be authenticated.
Ow has not returned the company-issued laptop and invoices since Feb 6, and a number of customers “are still in the dark” My Digital Lock said in its post.
In its newest Facebook post, the company announced, “My Digital Lock is back in business.”
It also said in one post that “Many viewers have give us the Travis hideout, and we have send to the police,” reiterating its pledge to reward $5000 to the person who gave the correct location of the former staff. /TISG
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