The Ah Lian PayNow Error incident has taken Singapore’s online community by storm.
And now, irate netizens are questioning the practises of an alleged investigating officer from the Singapore Police Force, and even whether said IO even exists.
In a police report lodged by restaurant towkay Roger Koh, he stated that he received a message from a person who identified herself as “IO Tan” from Tanglin Police Division, requesting that he call her on the phone.
Koh said that during the half-hour call, “IO Tan” asked him to “react and return the money immediately”.
Koh felt aggrieved by this and alleges that “IO Tan” was abusing her power.
The incident took place on Saturday (23 Nov), when local ah lian Geraldine Phoa contacted Koh to inform him that she had erroneously transferred S$500 to his account using the PayNow bank transfer service.
Phoa and her husband then texted and called Koh, asking him to return the money,
Koh told them that he needed to time verify that he had received the said S$500.
He subsequently blocked the couple from contacting him as, he claims, he thought they were scammers who were hounding him.
Phoa and her husband lodged a police report after they were blocked.
Questions have been raised over the handling of the dispute by “IO Tan”.
Said Luke Li:
“No investigations and straight away ask him to pay? What if it’s really a scam? Did the police even check that he had received the money?”
Some claim that a mischievous person had impersonated a police officer to badger Koh into transferring S$500 to Phoa.
Said Jason Soh:
“Police force where got so fast one? Small case also can drag long long. Must be someone acting as the investigator and call him to disturb him.”
Police are investigating the case after the lodging of reports by Phoa and Koh.
