The victim searched the firm owner’s name and saw a Facebook post from another scam victim… who turned out to be their cousin.
Here’s what happened.
Ghosted Customer After Receiving $27k Deposit
Facebook user Alfred Fadli Khan posted in the group SG Business Blacklist/Scam Alert, sharing how he got scammed of $27,000.
Alfred said that he hired renovation company Naizz Hous Carpentry & Renovation Pte Ltd for his upcoming Designer Cats Boutique Hotel, and paid more than $27,000 in deposit.
The firm’s owner, Helme Bin Abdul Hamid, had apparently promised Alfred to complete the project by 21 August 2022. However, he had ghosted Alfred instead, and even terminated his mobile number used to contact Alfred previously.
Only painting and half of the wiring have been done, but the paint job was apparently not even done by the firm. Instead, Helme had paid a small sum to some Bangladeshi workers who were painting Vibes @ East Coast, and he didn’t even fully pay them.
Cousin Also Got Scammed By Same Guy in Investments
Alfred said that he decided to search up Helme’s name on Google on 21 August, and found a Facebook post about him in the same scam alert group. The post was actually made by Alfred’s cousin, who confirmed that it’s the same guy.
His cousin had lost more than $30,000 to Helme about a year ago, after investing in sand transportation. It seems like Helme has been scamming multiple people under different businesses, from renovations to sand transportation.
Alfred is now looking for people who know Helme’s contact or his whereabouts, and has filed a police report.
Rating of 4.8 on Facebook
When we looked at Naizz Hous Carpentry & Renovation’s Facebook page, it actually has pretty good reviews, with a rating of 4.8 across 19 reviews. The most recent review was from March 2021.
However, most of the reviews mentioned a Mr Emran instead of a Helme. All the customers seemed quite satisfied with Mr Emran’s professionalism, so we doubt that he’s the same guy that scammed Alfred.
The Facebook page seems to be active with sporadic advertisement posts, and a check on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority’s website shows that the company’s status is still live.
Featured Image: Facebook (Alfred Fadli Khan)