SINGAPORE: A hawker stall in Tiong Bahru Market fell victim to a fake order for 150 packets of chicken and mutton biryani on Tuesday (9 September).
According to 8world, the order was made by a man who claimed to be a representative of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
Stall owner Sayyid, 38, who runs Muhammad Shazain Faiha Muslim Food Paradise, said the man had placed the order a day earlier, on 8 September.
The customer claimed the meals were for SAF soldiers in camp, specifically requested no beef or pork, and asked that each packet be paired with a bottle of mineral water.
Believing the food was genuinely meant for soldiers, Sayyid prepared larger portions of meat and rice at no extra cost and even offered a discount, charging S$10 per packet instead of the usual S$12.
When asked for a deposit, the man refused, saying he could not provide one as “the SAF is a government agency”.
He also requested a receipt despite not making payment.
The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) clarified in a Facebook post on 10 September that the SAF had investigated the case but found “no evidence that these individuals are affiliated with the SAF.”
Early Preparation and False Promises
Sayyid revealed that he and his wife had started buying ingredients and preparing the order at 4.30am that day, an hour earlier than their usual routine, 8world reported.
Before starting preparations, Sayyid contacted the man several times to reconfirm the order.
He said the man had initially called to make inquiries and later communicated with him via WhatsApp.
However, after sending a final pick-up reminder at 11.58am on Tuesday (9 September), Sayyid was unable to reach the man.
According to him, the order was supposed to be collected between 1pm and 1.30pm, but no one turned up.
Public Appeal and MP’s Involvement
Faced with the risk of wasting 150 packets of freshly cooked biryani, the stall turned to social media for help.
In a Facebook post, the hawker appealed to the public to support them by purchasing the biryani at a special price.
“Instead of letting good food go to waste, we are selling them at a special price today,” the post read.
The post quickly drew attention, including from Tiong Bahru MP Foo Cexiang, who shared it on his own Facebook page and urged residents to support the stall.
“Lunch time may be over but on special days, we can allow ourselves a good biryani tea break – so calling all our Tiong Bahru residents, go down and get ’em before they run out!” he wrote.
In an interview with Channel 8, reported by 8world, Foo said he immediately reposted the appeal after learning of the incident and alerted grassroots leaders.
A friend, who wished to remain anonymous, bought 50 packets of biryani, while grassroots leaders purchased 30 packets, which were later distributed to residents in rental flats.
Community Rallies to Help
By 4.20pm, Foo updated his post to announce that all 150 packets had been sold within one and a half hours.
Sayyid confirmed that many residents came to the stall personally to buy the biryani, while others phoned in to purchase meals for donation as a pay-it-forward gesture.
He later expressed his gratitude on Facebook, writing that he felt truly blessed and humbled by the overwhelming support from Tiong Bahru residents and others who had stepped in to help.
Mindef on 10 September said based on the information provided by the complainants, they have found no evidence that these individuals are affiliated with the SAF.
It added: “We take a serious view of this, and urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police.”
Past Experience with Bulk Orders
Sayyid, who has been running his stall at Tiong Bahru Market for nine years and also operates another at Holland Drive Market and Food Centre, said this was the first time he had encountered such a scam.
He recalled previously fulfilling an order for 1,000 packets of biryani in 2022 without collecting a deposit, noting that the customers had honoured the deal and collected the food as promised.
This experience, he said, led him to trust the man who placed the recent order.
Sayyid said that losing money was a small matter to him, but what he could not bear was the thought of food being wasted.
“If you ordered food and didn’t pay, I wouldn’t be too bothered, at most just upset at being scammed. But this person ordered 150 meals and didn’t come to pick them up. If you want to cheat people’s money, then just cheat their money. Why waste food?”
Sayyid described the man as sounding Chinese, possibly in his 20s, and said his voice came across as sincere rather than that of a typical scammer.
According to a Facebook update on 10 September, Sayyid has since lodged a police report.
The post Hawker stall scammed by fake order of 150 biryani packets, community steps in appeared first on The Online Citizen.
