Beware: Several cases of theft by “Bogus Electrician”

Since June this year, there have been several cases of theft in dwelling at various housing estates in Jalan Kukoh, Selegie House, Everton Park, Sims Drive, Chin Swee Road, and Jurong West committed by a male perpetrator posing as an electrician.

Modus Operandi

In most of these cases, the perpetrator would pose as an electrician/technician and gain entry into the victim's unit on the pretext of checking/repairing the electrical supply. The perpetrator was known to converse with the victims in either Malay or Hokkien and in most cases, would ask the victim to hold a bamboo pole against the light bulb in the kitchen toilet to facilitate his checks. The perpetrator would then make use of the opportunity to steal from the victim while he/she was distracted and make away with cash and/or jewellery. To date, cash about S$33,640/-; 3 handphones and jewellery worth more than $36,000/- have been stolen in these cases.

The victims targeted were mostly elderly persons who were alone at home and the perpetrator usually struck during the late morning to mid afternoon period.

Crime Prevention Advisory

Members of the public are advised to be aware of and vigilant against such perpetrators. Police would also like to advise residents to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

• Always keep the grille gates locked and never open the doors to strangers
• Do not allow anyone who claims to be a government official or repairman to enter your house without verifying his identity
• If in doubt, verify with the relevant authorities, or contact your family members or Police for assistance
• Never hand over any deposit to strangers for services which you did not engage; and
• Do not keep large sums of money or valuables in the house. Keep the money in a safe or deposit it in the bank.

source: Singapore Police