Singapore florist hit by fake bulk order worth $3,820

It was a rosy picture for Kiki Florist: a huge order of 150 small bouquets and four extra-large bouquets amounting to $3,820, the largest order for this small, home-based business to date.

The big spender, who called the florist on Sept 8 around 11am, claimed he was from the logistics team of an army camp in Bedok and said the order was a "corporate order from the government".

The order, which was due for collection on Sept 10 at 1pm, was too large for Kiki's small team of two to fulfil in time. The florist and buyer eventually agreed on 50 small bouquets, to be paid for with $1,100 in cash and no down payment.

Sept 10 came and went but the mysterious buyer never turned up.

Fortunately for Kiki, which has a collection point in KAP Mall in Bukit Timah Road, it managed to sell off the 50 bouquets at a discounted rate of about $800. Co-founder Joselyn Lie said she made a profit of about $200 - much less than if she had sold them without a heavy discount.

She also had to turn down several smaller orders as the team's hands were full with the large bulk order.

Ms Lie told The Straits Times that she would not be making a police report as she "was not sure if it was a scam or just an irresponsible customer".

She added: "To protect our business from future scams, we will not be proceeding with bulk orders if there is no down payment."

In her blog post on its website about the incident on Sept 10, she said it would also ask for a signed purchase order for corporate jobs.

Kiki Florist is the second small local business to fall victim to a fake bulk order in the last week.

Muhammad Shazain Faiha Muslim Food Paradise, a hawker stall in Tiong Bahru Market, posted on Sept 9 that it "was scammed with a fake order of 150 packets of chicken and mutton briyani".

The person who placed the order reportedly told the hawker that he was unable to put down a deposit as "the military is a government agency and therefore cannot provide a deposit".

The Ministry of Defence said it had investigated the matter but "found no evidence that these individuals are affiliated with the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces)".

"We take a serious view of this, and urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police," it added in a statement on its Facebook page on Sept 10.

The person involved in the Kiki Florist incident also claimed to have a military connection, saying he was from the army camp's logistics department.

The WhatsApp profile of the person who placed the order also shows a man in what appeared to be an SAF uniform, donning a blue beret. He also claimed he needed to show his "superior" that the flowers were ready.

Ms Lie, 21, said she did not find the initial order suspicious as the man sounded sincere.

Kiki Florist began preparing the bouquets for the order out of "good faith" and a "touch of overconfidence", according to the blog post.

But later, some red flags began to appear.

"It's definitely weird that he initially wanted 150 bouquets for officers. Yet, he still accepted only 50 bouquets," said Ms Lie, who also pointed out that "corporates don't usually" pay in cash, which was what the man offered to do.

In addition to the bouquets, the customer even asked Ms Lie if she could contact a supplier he provided her with for military rations and include the meals with his order.

Following news of the incident, Ms Lie also thanked the public, saying: "We're really thankful for the huge support that the people here have given us, the messages, the offer to help mitigate the losses."

News outlet CNA, which reported the Kiki Florist case earlier on Sept 13, said Mindef directed it to its Sept 10 Facebook post on the fake bulk order of briyani when asked about the latest incident.

According to a police advisory on July 28, there has been a "re-emergence of fake bulk order scams".

The advisory said recent cases saw the renovation, food and beverage, retail and service industries being targeted. Since May, at least five cases had been reported, with total losses amounting to at least $52,000.

Police advised businesses to independently verify the identity of the party they are corresponding with, and check the legitimacy of suspicious messages, phone numbers and websites via the ScamShield app.

If dealing with suppliers, they should avoid making payments or deposits in advance to new parties. Arrange to meet the supplier and pay only upon delivery of the goods, the police added.

Businesses should also tell the authorities, family and friends about scams and report the scammers to WhatsApp or whichever messaging platform the exchange was held on.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg