A number of Punggol residents have fallen victim to a durian scam involving a man who pretended to be a neighbour to gain their trust before getting them to buy overpriced durians through a so-called group buy. Some ended up paying as much as $488 for a few durians, only to find that the fruit was unripe, sour, and not worth the money. The victims have since filed police reports.
It started with Madam Tan, a resident at Block 613D in Punggol, who shared her experience with Shin Min Daily News. On the afternoon of July 31, a man rang her doorbell and claimed to be her neighbour from the 15th floor. He warmly invited her to join a group buy for durians and handed her a note listing durian prices and the seller’s contact details.
“Because he said he was my upstairs neighbour, I didn’t think too much and agreed. I trusted him. He said the durians would arrive at 3.30pm and told us to prepare our own containers,” Madam Tan said.
As a mother caring for a young child, it was inconvenient for her to head out to eat durians. Since there were no stalls nearby, the idea of durians delivered to her door seemed very appealing. “Usually, I ignore door-to-door sellers, but I really love durians,” she added.
Later that day, a different man arrived at her doorstep, claiming to be the deliveryman from the durian store.
He brought two big bags of durians. Madam Tan told him she wanted the bittersweet variety. He pulled out a durian and said it was Mao Shan Wang, weighing about 3kg. He then recommended adding a small Black Thorn durian so her whole family could enjoy.
But before weighing them, he cut open both durians from the bottom. He then claimed the total weight was 11.78kg and charged her $16 per kg, bringing the price to $187.
“I was shocked. He said the big one was only around 3kg. How did it suddenly become nearly 12kg with one more small durian?” she questioned. But the man said nothing and proceeded to pack the durians into boxes, hurrying her to make payment.
Madam Tan told him the price was too expensive and said she was worried her husband would scold her. The man then said, “Just treat me to a glass of water,” and offered to lower the price to $150. Since the durians were already cut open, she eventually gave in and paid via PayNow.
But the disappointment didn’t stop there. When she opened the boxes to eat with her husband, they realised the durians were sour and lacked fragrance. One box wasn’t even ripe.
She tried to call the seller’s number but could not get through. Texts and voice calls were all ignored. That was when she posted in her residents’ group chat to ask if anyone on the 15th floor was selling durians. Multiple neighbours said they didn’t know such a person, and she realised she had been scammed.
“I believe this was a planned scam. He pretended to be a neighbour just to lower my guard,” Madam Tan said. She later made a police report.
Not the only victim
Madam Tan wasn’t the only one who got duped. After her story was reported, more residents from the same area came forward with similar experiences.
One woman, who did not want to be named, said that on the night of July 30, a man also approached her at home to sell durians. She ended up paying $488 for five durians that the man claimed weighed a total of 36kg.
He had initially approached her by pretending to be a neighbour and offered what sounded like a good deal. When the men returned at around 8pm with five durians, they used sales tactics like “We specially reserved these for you,” “Buy four get one free,” and “All premium durians at just $14 per kg” to persuade her to buy more.
She said she only wanted two durians, but the men were very pushy. They insisted all the durians were premium ones like Mao Shan Wang, Black Thorn, Jin Feng, Red Prawn, and Tekka. Flyers shared by the victim showed listed prices: Black Gold at $21/kg, Black Thorn and Mao Shan Wang at $18/kg, and others at $15/kg.
After reading about Madam Tan’s experience, she realised it was the same person who had come to her home. She has also made a police report.
Durian seller clarifies: Two durians weighing 12kg is highly unlikely
Mr Ho, the owner of Durian Empire located in Punggol, was interviewed and said it’s highly unusual for two durians to weigh nearly 12kg.
“Durians sold locally usually weigh between 1kg and 2.5kg. Those that are 3 to 4kg are very rare and may only be found in China or Thailand. Two durians weighing close to 12kg is simply exaggerated,” he said.
Mr Ho added that last year, a customer told him someone had gone door to door selling durians and claimed they were from Durian Empire. That’s when he found out someone had been using his shop’s name without permission.
He stressed that his business does not do door-to-door sales.
Authorities: Door-to-door sales without a licence is illegal
Under Singapore’s Environmental Public Health Act, it is illegal to go door to door selling goods without a proper licence.
Members of the public who come across suspicious food vendors can report them to the Singapore Food Agency using an online form. Authorities have said they will not hesitate to take action if there is enough evidence.
