SINGAPORE - A taxi passenger is the latest person to have achieved infamy in Singapore after a video goes viral showing him verbally abusing a taxi driver.
The passenger was not named or even seen in the five-minute clip recorded on the taxi's camera, but somehow, online sleuths ferreted out his name, online profiles, address and which schools he went to.
On local forums, he is said to be a nurse at a local hospital. However, a hospital spokesman told The Straits Times that he is not an employee.
Some netizens also said he is a Malaysian, but others refuted that, posting details of his National Service, and the secondary school and polytechnic in Singapore which he attended.
Photos from his now defunct Facebook account were also splashed online. His Linkedin account, which has also been taken down, lists a few jobs, including co-ordinator at a medical supplies company and sales manager at a technology company, in addition to his nursing credentials.
He is also listed as a "business development manager, events and special projects" at a florist, but when contacted, the florist said he did not work there. However, they supplied him with flowers and gifts for sale on Valentine's Day and other special occasions.
The alleged passenger did not respond to phone calls from The Straits Times.
In the video put up on Saturday, a faceless voice calls the taxi driver a "blind bat", in addition to making demanding requests and threats in a rude and impatient tone throughout the ride.
The video on the All Singapore Stuff Facebook page has received more than 570,000 views as of Monday afternoon.
It was posted by the taxi driver's 27-year-old daughter who did not wish to be named. She told The Straits Times: "I hope netizens will show respect for the rude passenger and not release his personal information online. What he did was wrong, but people make mistakes and we can only choose to be a bigger person and forgive them."
Others have also called on netizens to moderate their abuse.
On Hardware Zone, there was one comment taken from Facebook by someone said to be the passenger's friend: "I've known that guy personally for several years before and can say that he is an otherwise docile and considerate fellow."
Many others called on the passenger to apologise to the taxi driver.
