Singapore — Scammers are using the recent HDB flat fire as an opportunity to make some cash.
A scheme with salespeople posing as employees from Singapore Power (SP) Group are allegedly selling fire extinguishers without the authorisation of the company.
On July 20 (Saturday), a 40-year-old man died in the hospital after firefighters rescued him during a fire that broke out in his HDB flat at Bukit Batok.
Having escaped the flames initially, the man went back to the unit to rescue his pets, but rescuers found unconscious.
Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries.
Based on preliminary investigations by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) found that three burnt personal mobility devices (PMDs) found in the unit are linked to the fire.
Four days later, another fire broke out at another HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio.
A PMD found in the kitchen is believed to be the cause of the fire, says SCDF.
It came to the attention of SP Group that there have been people using the recent fortuitous events for personal gains.
In a Facebook post on July 24 (Wednesday), SP Group says, “There have been reports of salespeople posing as SP Group employees to sell fire extinguishers.”
The energy utilities company reiterated that it does not sell any products, and its employees do not conduct door-to-door sales.
“We advise all customers to always ask for and check the identification of the person claiming to be from SP Group, and not to provide personal particulars to strangers,” SP Group warned.
This is not the first time scammers used SP Group to sell fire extinguishers.
In 2016, the company released a warning urging the public to be cautious of companies using aggressive techniques to sell fire safety products.
Some companies would claim they have been endorsed by SP Group to sell fire extinguishers, conduct fire safety talks or offer fire insurance policies. All claims were rejected by SP Group.
#Advisory: There have been reports of salespeople posing as SP Group employees to sell fire extinguishers. Please note…
Posted by SP Group on Wednesday, July 24, 2019
For any information related to such scams, one could call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 for assistance.
Read related: Man dies in hospital after rushing back to rescue pets during Bukit Batok HDB flat fire
Read related: Second PMD related fire at HDB, this time at Ang Mo Kio, 3 rescued and 60 evacuated