PICHAEATS has lodged a police report after being duped by a scammer posing as Universiti Malaya (UM) for an event with 500 attendees.
Taking to social media, the local social enterprise and catering company shared a picture of the order, explaining that it received the order via an official-looking letter bearing the Higher Education Ministry and UM logos on Wednesday (June 5).
The urgent catering request claimed that PichaEats’ service was sought after the previous food vendor pulled out at the last minute.
Only after signing the relevant documents did the company find out that these were forged for a non-existent event.
PichaEats also later discovered that another catering company had been scammed with the same modus operandi a day earlier, resulting in significant financial losses.
“We are filing a police report and will notify UM about scammers using their name.
“Meanwhile, 15 Picha chefs have purchased ingredients to prepare meals for 500 people. If you need food for today (lunch, high tea, dinner) for your family, or office gathering, or would like to donate so we can distribute the meals to communities in need, please DM us,” read a statement shared by the enterprise on social media.
In a public service announcement, PichaEats also urged fellow businesses to check messages from any suspicious phone numbers on the Royal Malaysia Police’s semakmule website.
Following the police report, the enterprise took to social media once again to express its gratitude to the public for their support.
“Thank you so much for the love and support you’ve given in this situation. Thank you for sharing the words around. And thank you for choosing to be you and make a change,” the message read.
“Because of YOU, the 15 chefs at PichaEats are not at loss. We really appreciate each and every one of you!” – June 7, 2024
Main pic credit: Facebook/PichaEats
