Elderly Grab driver got scammed by passenger who pays HK$10 for SG$8.80 fare

Be extra careful when you are dealing with payments with foreign currencies.

Recently, a Grab driver in Singapore was scammed by a passenger who paid HK$10 (S$1.78) in cash for an S$8.80 fare.

The incident was brought to light by the Grab driver’s daughter, who shared about the incident on TikTok last Friday (8 July), saying that her father works as a Grab driver who usually leaves home at 5:30 am and comes back around 10 pm, with an hour or two break in the afternoon.

“Today, my father got scammed by a passenger. It’s not a lot of money but he was really hurt coz he trusted the guy,” she wrote in the caption.

@sarahremix09

My dad got scammed… People like this still exist. pls don’t. these hardworking people don’t deserve it #fyp #grab #scammed

♬ Heartbeat (From “Kal Ho Naa Ho”) (Instrumental) – Shankar Ehsaan Loy

She then explained that the total fare for the ride was S$8.80 but the passenger handed over a HK$10 note and claimed that he did not have any Singapore dollars with him at the time.

Unfortunately, the elderly man did not know how much HK$10 was worth in Singapore dollars and he asked the passenger to confirm if what he had given was the right amount.

The passenger apparently lied and confirmed that the amount he gave was correct before leaving the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the daughter also shared a screenshot of the passenger’s JustGrab transaction, showing the total fare for the ride was indeed S$8.80.

The transaction also showed that the passenger had headed to an area in River Valley from Orchard Boulevard, covering a total of 2.2km.

With this, the daughter explained that the amount the passenger had given to her father was equivalent to Grab’s commission. Hence, her father did not earn anything from the ride.

“I mean guys, my father works day and night and so does every Grab drivers/food delivery person!! Pls don’t do this…” she lamented.

@sarahremix09

UPDATE ON GRAB! Didn’t expect this kind of overwhelming love from y’all, I just wanted to raise awareness on the struggles of Grab Drivers / riders ! but y’all so sweet 😍 my dad is shooked haha, he knew nothing about the post and he was really touched by all your kind words. Thank you @Grab Singapore for the fast response! kind acts makes the world a better place and TikTok is the best place that reflects that ! #fyp #scammed #grab #father #update #kindness

♬ original sound – hello4567 – hello4567

A day after the incident (9 July), the daughter uploaded another video on her TikTok page, informing netizens that Grab had refunded her father and had credited the money that was owed to him.

She also shared that a family friend had given her father S$10 as he “feels the pain”. She added that he was really touched by the netizens’ support and Grab’s fast response to the incident.

Nonetheless, here’s some advice for you to be extra careful when dealing with foreign currencies.

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