Singapore’s authorities are trying to reach the Vietnamese tourist cheated by a mobile phone shop owner in the island state to provide him with assistance, said Glenn Koh, Area Director in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos of Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

According to Straits Times, a Vietnamese tourist identified as Pham wanted to buy his girlfriend an iPhone 6 as a birthday gift. He forked out US$950 for the smartphone at Mobile Air shop in Sim Lim Square and was going to leave when he was asked to pay an additional US$1,500 as warranty fee.

After intervention from the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), he got a refund of US$400, but was still short of US$550.

Pham, a factory worker, was so desperate that he knelt down to beg the shop’s staff to return his hard-earned cash, but only got refunded less than half of what he paid, according to Straits Times.

After the case was reported, many Vietnamese travelers have voiced against fraud in broad daylight in Singapore. Some are disappointed as Singapore has long been known as a safe place to shop.

Telling the Daily via email on November 5, Koh said he has been aware of the case. The Vietnamese tourist has given his phone number and email to CASE and relevant forces of Singapore are trying to contact him.

“We are aware of the situation at Sim Lim Square (SLS) and will also be reaching out to Mr. Pham to facilitate any follow up actions that he may wish to take,” he said.

“Together with CASE, we have been closely monitoring the number of complaints received against such retailers. In general, should there be evidence of unfair practices, appropriate actions that STB can take under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) will be adopted to curb these practices.”

Besides raising greater consumer awareness of such errant practices, STB would encourage consumers to report such unfair practices, Koh said.

They should also take necessary measures to protect their interests such as researching the product, conducting a comparison of prices, clarifying return policies, checking receipts or invoices for accuracy and verifying coverage of warranties before agreeing to the purchase.

Together with partners, STB has also been actively reaching out to locals and visitors regarding measures on such errant behaviors.

This includes establishing a list of retailers who have received the most complaints from locals and visitors. This list, as led by CASE, is also available at http://www.case.org.sg/consumer_guides_consumeralerts.aspx.

The list shows that Mobile Air Pte Ltd is on top with 25 complaints.

Besides, Travel advisories have also been placed on the YourSingapore website at http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/plan-your-trip/travel-essentials/general-travel-information.html for our visitors’ knowledge.

Visitors who wish to seek additional assistance or to flag inappropriate retailer behavior may contact the Tourist line at 1800 6736 2000 (toll-free in Singapore), or (65) 6736 2000 (from overseas), or email STB at feedback@stb.gov.sg.