08/08/2025
Scammed by a ‘Government’ Call ‼️❗️❌
Last week, we got a call from a man named Syazani claiming to be from Lembaga Kastam. He urgently needed a quotation for an event happening in just 3 days.
I sent the quote and received a Purchase Order almost immediately — but he said payment would only be released 3 days after the event. The PO looked legitimate when I checked with friends who do government projects, so I trusted him and went ahead: ordered fresh flowers, materials, and hired extra hands for a busy Saturday.
On the event morning, after the flowers arrived, Syazani called sounding panicked. He said they’d forgotten to order door gifts for VIPs and insisted I contact their “previous vendor” to buy them. When I pushed back, he said payments could only be made to one vendor, and because I was the official vendor I had to arrange everything — even catering. It didn’t make sense.
I kept the call on loudspeaker so my team could hear. The “door gift” vendor said she had stock and had worked with Lembaga Kastam before — but demanded full payment up front (RM12,000) ‼️We realized the plan: pressure me into paying RM12,000 because my flowers were already delivered and perishable.
I refused to be forced into services outside my SSM scope. They then said the event would be postponed — on the day of the event , which confirmed our suspicion.
I lodged a police report immediately because they now had my company details, SSM, bank info, and signature.
The good news: the loss was minimal. Most of the flowers were saved , we turned them into bouquets for promotional videos and other arrangements, and the supplier kindly accepted returns of a few bundles🥹❤️
What I learned (and want you to know):
• Scammers often use WhatsApp calls to avoid traceable phone records.
• Don’t make big decisions alone — seek advice; scammers are good at pressuring people.
• Insist on deposits, no matter the project size.
I’m sharing this to warn other small businesses ,especially florists , that this type of scam exists. Please share so others don’t fall into the same trap.