Police warn of fake fund-recovery services targeting victims of Fun Coffee investment scam

SINGAPORE - The police have issued a warning to members of the public about a fund recovery service scam claiming to help victims of the Fun Coffee investment scheme get their money back.

In an advisory on Aug 27, the police said scammers would pose as representatives of Fun Coffee, or third-party service providers, offering to help victims recover their lost funds.

Through online messages, the fraudsters instructed victims to pay deposits, tax payments or fees through bank transfers, claiming the money was to facilitate the recovery of funds.

The victims only realised they were duped when they did not get their money back.

The Fun Coffee investment plan, which originated in Vietnam, was first exposed as a ponzi scheme in Hong Kong.

The Straits Times previously reported that several investors in Singapore had filed police reports against the company after losing tens of thousands.

A 49-year-old woman was arrested in Singapore on Aug 6 for her alleged involvement in the investment scheme.

In their mid-year scam statistics released on Aug 26, the police said investment scams were the third most common scam type in first half of 2026, with 2,256 cases reported and $169.8 million lost.

The average amount lost was around $75,000. Investment scams recorded the highest amount lost among all scam types in the first six months of 2026.

Losses involving cryptocurrency remained significant, reaching $65.5 million, which made up around 16 per cent of the total amount lost to scams, said the police.

The police said that in the first half of 2026, the Anti-Scam Centre recovered over $97 million of scam losses, including $8 million in cryptocurrency.

The police urged members of the public to exercise caution with individuals, online services or websites offering to help recover funds lost to scams or investments.

Members of the public should also take precautionary measures such as downloading the ScamShield App to block scam calls and filter SMSes and checking the legitimacy of fund recovery services through independent sources.

Claudia Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times covering the crime and court desk.