Anywheel issues warning about scammers posing as its staff to cheat people of their money

SINGAPORE - Anywheel has warned of scammers in Orchard Road who posed as its staff to cheat people of sums between $30 and $50.

The shared bicycle operator told The Straits Times that one of its workers was rearranging its bicycles along the stretch between 313@Somerset and Orchard Towers on Friday morning when he was approached by several members of the public.

They said they had been approached by people in white tops with a green Anywheel logo, who persuaded them to pay between $30 and $50 for a monthly subscription to the app-based bicycle-sharing service.

They asked the worker why they did not receive their subscription pass even though they had paid for it.

The worker reported the incident to Anywheel’s headquarters.

Anywheel issued a scam alert on its social media accounts on the same day to clarify that it did not deploy people to sell its subscription plans.

Anywheel said that its uniform is green and features a white Anywheel logo, not white with a green Anywheel logo as described by the victims.

The company charges $6.90 for its seven-day pass, $9.90 for a 30-day pass and $26.90 for a 90-day pass, according to its website.

The victims said the scammers took payments in cash and via PayNow, and even had a Nets machine, according to Anywheel.

“Our staff will never request payments outside of our official app. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any inquiries or concerns,” said Anywheel.

It believes that, based on the victims’ accounts, the bogus staff are foreigners and the scam likely occurred over the weekend.

It is not clear how many victims there are and the total sum involved.

The company has filed a police report and informed the Land Transport Authority about the case.

Known for its green two-wheelers, Anywheel was established in Singapore in 2017.

It has about 30,000 bicycles around the island with 200,000 users on average a month.