A conman who had claimed to be a Housing Development Board (HDB) contractor allegedly assaulted a Singaporean who had warned his elderly neighbour not to fall for the conman’s ploy. The incident occurred at Toa Payoh Central, last week.
Facebook user Isninhan Low Chong Bak shares that he ended up at the receiving end of the conman’s anger while trying to protect his elderly neighbour. Sharing pictures of the man who had claimed to be an HDB officer, Low said that the man had come to his unit and had said that his team would be “coming to do patch work on old ceiling, as prescribed by HDB.”
The conman had asked for a deposit of $100 and another $200 upon completion of repairs the next day. Feeling suspicious, Low had asked the man which company he was representing and the man showed him a calling card. An uncertain Low then thanked the man but declined his offer.
Afterwards, the conman went to Low’s neighbour and made him the same offer. About 15 minutes later, the 76-year-old neighbour approached Low and asked whether the man’s proposition was genuine.
Feeling that he owed his neighbour a duty to be honest about his thoughts, Low urged the elderly gentleman to be cautious and first verify the conman’s proposition with the authorities.
This was when the conman lost his temper. Low said the man raised his voice and warned him against getting involved, before “cursing me and even wanted to fxxk my 93 years old mother, who was standing behind me. When I raised my voice back, he spit at my face.”
Incensed, Low unlocked his gate and raced down the stairs to confront the man, who had already taken the elevator to the ground floor. The conman then assaulted Low before fleeing when the elderly neighbour, who had followed behind Low, called the police.
Low recounts: “His action angered me and I took the keys to open the gate to my main door by which time he made his way into the Lift to take him down to ground level. I raced down the staircase and confronted him as his was leaving the Lift.
“At this point, he threw a punch at me, the force of which made me to land on my bottoms on the steps of the staircase.
“By this time my neighbour has followed me down and I asked him to call the police on his mobile while I tried to restraint him from leaving. The conman knew his game was up and tried to walk away not looking back. By the time the police came, the hustler had left the scene.”
Netizens responding to Low’s post — which warns residents to beware of the conman — noted that HDB contractors usually do not ask for money upfront for maintenance works.
Read Low’s post in full here.