SINGAPORE – When a woman in her 50s transferred $17,000 to her boyfriend, whom she met online, and he subsequently became uncontactable, Sergeant Amanda Low knew the woman was a victim of an Internet love scam.
Sgt Low, who is part of the Community Policing Unit (CPU) at Jurong East Neighbourhood Police Centre, was knocking on doors to warn residents about scams in November 2020 when the woman said she was concerned about her online boyfriend’s safety.
Speaking to The Straits Times on Thursday (March 3), Sgt Low, 26, said: “Her boyfriend, who claimed he is American, told her he needed the money to get through immigration to meet her in Singapore. When he got the money, he became uncontactable. But the woman still refused to believe she was a scam victim.”
Sgt Low added that the woman lodged a police report after much persuasion.
CPU officers such as Sgt Low, who has been at the job for 1½ years, spend much of their time visiting various Housing Board blocks to educate the public about scams and inform them about the dangers.
ST shadowed two CPU officers, Sgt Low and Senior Staff Sgt (SS Sgt) Siva Prasath Pillai, 38, on Thursday as they visited residents of a HDB block in Jurong East.
SS Sgt Pillai, who has been working as a CPU officer for 5½ years, said such house visits are necessary to educate residents on how they can protect themselves from scammers.
“Door-to-door visits allow us to interact with residents, share advisories based on current crime trends and…
