𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣 𝟮𝟮 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗦

In an island-wide anti-scam enforcement operation conducted from 30 to 31 May 2023, the Police arrested three men, aged between 20 and 50 for their suspected involvement in perpetrating scams.

Another 15 men and seven women, aged between 26 and 65 are also assisting with investigations.

Since March 2023, the Police observed that Singpass credentials were misused to open corporate bank accounts online. Investigations indicated that these corporate account holders had relinquished their Singpass credentials and passwords to the scam syndicates to register companies and open corporate bank accounts, which served as conduits to receive funds from victims of investment scams and job scams.

During the two-day island-wide operation, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and seven Land Divisions arrested three individuals and hauled up 22 others for investigations.

30 bank accounts were frozen for investigations, and more than $189,000 in scam proceeds were seized.

Preliminary investigations revealed that they had allegedly facilitated criminal activities by selling their bank accounts and or relinquishing their Singpass credentials to scam syndicates to create new bank accounts, and in some cases, for returns as much as $700 for each bank account sold.

Some are also believed to have rented their bank accounts to scammers or assisted them with bank transfers and withdrawals for monetary benefits. Police investigations are ongoing.

The Police take a serious view of these offences and will not hesitate to take action against individuals who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

To avoid being an accomplice to the crime, members of the public should always reject seemingly attractive money-making opportunities promising pay-outs for the use of their Singpass account, or bank accounts or allow their personal bank account to be used to receive and transfer money for others.

The Police would like to remind members of the public that individuals will be held accountable if they are found to be linked to such crimes.

In a recent incident at Yishun Northpoint, a customer expressed frustration on social media after encountering issues with a deposit machine. The customer claimed that the machine had “eaten” his money and displayed an error message for only a few seconds before disappearing. The individual’s attempts to contact the customer service hotline resulted in a lengthy 25-minute wait before speaking with a representative.

According to the customer, the hotline operator assured them that a claim would be submitted, and the funds would be refunded within three working days. However, the customer raised a valid concern regarding potential late payment fees and interest charges for other banks’ credit card payments due the following day. When seeking clarification on whether the bank would assume responsibility for such charges, the hotline operator was unable to provide a definitive answer.

The customer also questioned whether the bank should have personnel readily available to address issues promptly in the event of machine malfunctions. While acknowledging that such incidents are infrequent, the customer found it unacceptable for their funds to be delayed by three days.

The incident occurred at a deposit machine situated in Yishun Northpoint. The affected individual expressed the hope of recovering the deposited money promptly and raised concerns about potential discrepancies in the refunded amount.

Here is what he said

The deposit machine eat my cash! No recipe come out. The error message flash like just few seconds I didn’t even managed to take a photo of it.

I spent 25mins in front of the machine trying to call the hotline ….. Yes.. 25minutes… And the person in the phone told me he will submit a claim for me… The money will be in within 3 working days. I ask him if tomorrow I have other banks credit card to be paid and I didn’t pay on time and was charged late payment fees and interest etc will UOB be responsible for it? The answer is I cannot tell you that …

Shouldnt UOB people have someone standby if the machine have problem the person will go to the scene asap?

I know machine problem is rare. But it’s real and happening! I cannot accept my money to reach me 3 days later too!

Anyway, the machine is located at Yishun Northpoint. I hope I can get back my money and if it’s not the right amount what can I do???

A 40-year-old man in Singapore is currently receiving medical treatment in a hospital after being bitten by a wild boar at Zhenghua Park in Bukit Panjang, according to a report by Mothership.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening (June 1) around 8:45 PM while the man, referred to as JL, was taking a walk with his dogs. According to JL, the wild boar suddenly emerged and approached him aggressively, contrary to their typically evasive behavior.

During the encounter, the wild boar bit into JL’s left leg. However, one of his dogs managed to fend off the boar before chasing it away.

Despite his injury, JL was able to run a distance of approximately 20 to 30 meters while calling out for his dog. However, his leg injuries gradually became too much for him to continue, ultimately forcing him to stop.

Due to him living close to the park, JL’s wife was able to drive him to the hospital promptly. Following the incident, he underwent surgery at 2 AM on June 2, where his left leg required more than 20 stitches.

JL is currently under observation in the hospital and has been granted a medical leave of four to six weeks.

In the aftermath of the incident, JL expressed his shock and emphasized that he and his dogs did not provoke the attack.

He expressed gratitude that his dog remained unharmed and mentioned the potential dangers if his 17-month-old daughter had been present during the attack.

Despite his experience, JL conveyed that he considers himself fortunate that his dog protected him, as the boar’s forceful bite could have caused serious harm or even killed the dog.

JL acknowledged that wild boars are frequently seen in the area and generally pose no threat. Despite his personal encounter, he expressed his wish for the well-being of the wild boar involved.

Rather than advocating for its capture and euthanasia, he hoped that the boar could be relocated, as has been done in similar incidents in the past.

Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming is generously providing a bonus equivalent to up to 30 months’ salary to its fortunate staff members.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Yang Ming Marine Transport is set to distribute this substantial bonus to its employees on their upcoming payday. Shareholders approved this exceptional bonus, amounting to approximately NT$2.3 billion (equivalent to S$101 million) in costs for the company, as reported by the Economic Daily News.

Based on information from the Taipei Times, the average bonus for each Yang Ming staff member will amount to around NT$1.34 million (equivalent to S$58,800). Notably, this significant bonus is in addition to the 12-month year-end bonus that was awarded to employees earlier this year.

These bonuses are being disbursed in accordance with the company’s charter, which mandates the allocation of at least 1% of its profits as mid-year bonuses to staff members. The exact payout amount per employee is determined at the company’s discretion, while their average monthly salary stands at NT$50,000 (equivalent to S$2,200).

In March, Yang Ming announced a record after-tax profit of NT$180.6 billion (equivalent to S$7.93 billion) for 2022, along with a record high consolidated sales of NT$375.9 billion (equivalent to S$16.5 billion). These exceptional financial results were driven by robust demand and elevated average freight rates in the container shipping market, a trend seen across global shipping firms during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In contrast, Evergreen Marine, Yang Ming’s Taiwanese competitor, plans to distribute a comparatively modest mid-year bonus equivalent to approximately 12 months’ salary to its employees. This bonus will cost Evergreen Marine approximately NT$1.918 billion (equivalent to S$84.1 million). The company reported a record after-tax profit of NT$334.2 billion (equivalent to S$14.7 billion) for 2022.

Despite the current prosperity, shipping companies anticipate a downturn in the industry’s fortunes. Yang Ming highlighted that purchasing power has been reduced due to inflation and high inventory levels since the fourth quarter of 2022. Analysts predict a staggering 99% decline in Yang Ming’s profit to NT$2.2 billion (equivalent to S$96.5 million) and a 94% drop in Evergreen’s net income to NT$18.6 billion (equivalent to S$816 million).

Evergreen’s President, Eric Hsieh, stated to the Taipei Times that the global shipping industry may experience a decline in the first quarter (1Q) but expects a rebound in the second quarter (2Q).