Woman in Singapore says her grandmother lost around S$1K after agreeing to a S$10 massage

SINGAPORE: A scheme targeting the elderly appears to have prevailed yet again. Recently, a woman took to social media to appeal for help after her grandmother had only agreed to a massage worth S$10, but ended up losing around S$1,000.

On Sep 20, a Threads user who goes by @finakitty wrote, “Hi, anyone around Yew Tee/CCK experienced this before, or had your mum/grandma go through something similar? A ‘$10 massage’ ended up costing my grandma $988/$1.2K and she’s not aware of all the transactions.”

She added that she was waiting for the refund that had been agreed upon, but if the company does not return her grandmother’s money, she will report the incident to the authorities.

The incident occurred at Yew Tee Point.

While she has not publicly stated the name of the company involved, she will do so if the refund does not go through and asked others to share their experiences.

In a follow-up to her post, she shared a screenshot from a resident who wrote that she had seen more and more senior citizens being “harassed” by the massage vendor, one of whom was even holding the device used for transactions as an elderly woman was being massaged.

The post author wrote that signs that say it’s the “last day” to avail of a promotion package are likely being used as bait for older people.

Many commenters shared similar encounters.

“Yes, I kene at Tampines Century Square last time; got booth, while msg they explain abt the package. I was like, what package??? Idw. Then they tried to convince me; I said no money. The massage didn’t even complete; they told me to go. Busted!! But glad I was able to go,” wrote one.

“I overheard a conversation INSIDE Prime, ada two chairs and a banner, offering such service and the fella was introducing the ahma some $900 plan also,” added another.

When a commenter wrote, “Please, could the rest of us intervene if we suspect that an elderly person is being targeted? Maybe it’s time we step up and speak up, as vulnerable people need protection. Break the spell and relieve the pressure; that will give them the space to think clearly. If there’s further pressure or coercion from these unethical losers, we can call the police there and then,” the post author agreed.

Many Threads users encouraged her to lodge a complaint with the police or with CASE (Consumers Association of Singapore), which protects consumers’ rights. /TISG

Read also: ‘Please educate your elderly parents’ — Netizens say after 70-year-old auntie pressured to spend $40,000 at wellness centre