Have you ever rushed to buy something that you think was a great deal only to find that the thing isn’t what you expected it to be?
Well, these pawnshop appraisers definitely got the short end of the stick once they realized that the three Rolex watches they have paid a total of S$50,000 for are all fakes.
Man Scammed Over $50,000 from Pawn Shops with Fake Rolex Watches
According to the police statement, the police received a report on 18 July 2021 accusing two men of fraud between 15-16 July.
They had gone to a pawn shop in Marsiling to pawn some fake Rolex watches.
And apparently, these fakes are so well-made that they managed to fool not one, but two separate appraisers from the same pawn shop.
That’s some deepfake-level quality which, if you put the criminality aside, is pretty darn impressive.
But of course, every fake item has a tell (at the very least), and given enough time and expertise, the fake will eventually be revealed as a fake.
Upon meticulous examination, the appraiser eventually realized that he has been duped; that the Rolex watches were all fake.
Caught and Charged with Conspiracy to Commit Fraud
After some quick investigative work, the officers of Woodlands Police Station managed to identify the two men involved in the Rolex watch scam – the 32-year-old “mastermind” behind the fraud scheme, Hu Bao Sheng (胡宝声), and his occasional accomplice, 55-year-old Chen Guo Ying (陈国英).
They were both arrested on 29 July 2021.
The police also confiscated S$4,300 in cash, a gold necklace, and three fake watches as evidence.
As he did most of the defrauding, the 32-year-old faces three charges of conspiracy to commit fraud for pawning three fake Rolex watches at the pawnshop between 15-16 July for S$18,000, S$16,500 and S$18,000 respectively.
Mr Chen, on the other hand, had only joined Mr Hu on one of his fraud attempts and hence, he was only charged with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud.
If convicted, the duo will face up to 10 years in prison and be fined.
Currently, Mr Hu is assisting the police in their investigation.
They likely trying to get him to flip on his supplier (of those fake Rolex watches) in exchange for a slightly lighter sentence.
Mr Hu will be appearing in court to face his charges on 6 August 2021.
Making bail, Mr Chen will only appear in court on 25 August 2021.
As for the fake Rolex watches, the pawnshops can always sell them to influencers like her:
Read Also:
- 43YO Man Jailed 11 Mths for Pawning Fake Rolex Watches; Cheated 2 Pawnshops of S$18,000
- 4 Teenagers Arrested for Cheating S$2,000 Out of Carousell Customers By Pretending to Sell Rolex Watches
Featured Image: rodcoffee/ shutterstock.com
