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Four months after setting up Mobile Air, he masterminded a scheme to lure unsuspecting customers to his Sim Lim Square shop by offering mobile devices at low prices.

Jover Chew Chiew Loon and his crooked sales team would then deviously include exorbitant add-ons to inflate the price and use bullying tactics to force through the sale.

Between January and October last year, Chew and his accomplices cheated 26 customers of $12,199.

He first made headlines last October after giving a customer $547 in coins as part of a $1,010 refund ordered by the Small Claims Tribunal.

He was in the spotlight again the following month after a video of a Vietnamese tourist kneeling in his shop and begging for a refund went viral.

Yesterday, Chew, 33, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of cheating, one count of criminal intimidation and one count of using insulting behaviour to a customer.

His four accomplices, Koh Guan Seng, Kam Kok Keong, Lim Hong Ching and Kelvin Lim Zhi Wei, were sentenced last month to between four and 14 months' jail each.

Court papers said Chew set up Mobile Air in October 2013, actively managed it and earned 60 per cent commission on profits from mobile phone sales.

He was the one who developed the modus operandi to cheat customers and imparted it to his employees. (See report above.)

One of the 26 victims was Bangladeshi national Lutfur Rahman Abdul Alim, 41, a construction worker who earned about $1,300 a month.

On Oct 14 last year, Mr Lutfur Rahman was at Sim Lim Square to buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

After comparing prices in a few shops, he saw that Mobile Air was selling a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for $330.
BLANK INVOICE
After paying the $330, he was told by Kelvin Lim to pay an additional $600 for a two-year warranty.

When the Bangladeshi asked for a refund, Lim said he would have to compensate Mobile Air $1,000 for breach of contract.

At this point, Chew entered the shop and told Mr Lutfur Rahman that he would fine him $1,000 if he did not purchase the warranty.

Mr Lutfur Rahman reluctantly handed over his work permit and ATM card, and signed a blank invoice.

He did so fearfully because there were six salesmen in Mobile Air.

But Lim was unable to deduct the $600 using a Nets machine from Mr Lutfur Rahman's account as there were insufficient funds.

The salesmen shouted at Mr Lutfur Rahman and one of them followed him to the ATM and checked his bank balance, which read $307.

They then made him pay $300 and handed him a mobile phone that was not working.

On another occasion, Chew paid Chinese national Liu Jinhui part of her refund in coins amounting to $547.

After the bag of coins fell on the floor, he made Ms Liu pick them up and filmed her doing so with intent to cause her distress.

Yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Eunice Lim said in her sentencing submissions that Chew had tarnished the reputation of Singapore as a retail and tourism destination.

For example, China issued a travel advisory to its citizens to exercise caution when shopping for mobile phones and electronic devices in Singapore, she said.

DPP Lim also said Chew had targeted foreigners and many of his victims were low-wage workers who understood limited English.

The prosecution called for a 36-month jail term in light of pressing public interest and as a deterrence to dishonest retail practices.

Chew's lawyer, Mr Mathew Kurian, said his client had made full restitution to the victims and was remorseful.

Chew is expected to be back in court on Nov 30 for sentencing.

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Jover Chew taught staff to cheat customers

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Four months after setting up Mobile Air, he masterminded a scheme to lure unsuspecting customers to his Sim Lim Square shop by offering mobile devices at low prices. Jover Chew Chiew Loon and his crooked sales team would then deviously include exorbitant add-ons to inflate the price and use bullying tactics to force through the sale.

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Jover Chew's mobile phone shop at Sim Lim Square, Mobile Air, shot to infamy in November 2014 when a video of a Vietnamese tourist begging for the return of his money went viral.

The shop refused the Consumers Association of Singapore's request for it to sign an agreement to stop its unfair practices then.

Case's next step was to take out an injunction against Mobile Air.

The process would take several months, as Case had to seek approval from its relevant committees as well as the Injunction Proposals Review Panel at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, before applying for the court order.

Chew and four of his workers were last year jailed for cheating customers.

Describing how Mobile Air would have been dealt with under the new law passed yesterday, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon said Case would refer the case to Spring Singapore, which now has the power to gather evidence - such as by entering and searching the shop even without a warrant - that Mobile Air had carried out unfair practices.

Spring could present the evidence to the courts, which might then issue an injunction barring Mobile Air from engaging in unfair practices as stated in the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act.

The courts could also order Mobile Air to publicise its injunction status, such as by putting up notices on its premises. It would then be up to consumers to decide whether they still want to purchase from Mobile Air.

The shop's employees who engaged in the unfair practices could also be required to similarly declare that they are under an injunction.

Spring and Case could also work together to publicise the retailer's injunction order.

Had Mobile Air not complied with the court orders, Spring, as the administering agency, would have the power to haul the retailer to court. Failure to comply with a court order is considered a criminal offence, which could result in a fine and/or jail.

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How Jover Chew incident would have been dealt with now

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Jover Chew's mobile phone shop at Sim Lim Square, Mobile Air, shot to infamy in November 2014 when a video of a Vietnamese tourist begging for the return of his money went viral. The shop refused the Consumers Association of Singapore's request for it to sign an agreement to stop its unfair practices then.

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He wanted to buy an iPad Air and decided to visit Sim Lim Square.

After all, he had frequented the mall previously and bought a drawing tab and piano accessories without any problems.

But his decision to visit Mobile Air turned out to be one he still regrets after he was cheated of over $400 by its employees.

Adam (not his real name), who is from a neighbouring South-east Asian country, was one of the 26 customers fleeced by the shop's then owner, Jover Chew, and his staff members.

Chew, 33, was jailed 33 months and fined $2,000 yesterday. He had pleaded guilty last month to 10 counts of cheating, one count of criminal intimidation and one count of causing distress.

Adam, who has been working in Singapore for five years and declined to give his real name for fear of reprisals, recounted to The New Paper his harrowing experience when he visited Sim Lim Square sometime between April and August last year.

He walked into Mobile Air, which has since closed down, to buy an iPad Air and was quoted a price of about $450.

"I trusted the shop because I had full trust that Singapore shopkeepers were running honest businesses," he said.

But after paying up, the Mobile Air staff demanded$900 more.

That was when Adam knew something was wrong and called the police.

It did not seem to work.

He said: "They (the staff members) acted smug and confident that they could convince the police. And they did."

Adam said the police officers just told him to contact the Consumers Association of Singapore.

He did not get back the money that he paid to the shop.

Said Adam: "I have no one here to back me up - my family, friends are not here. I'm sure this is why they target low-wage foreign workers like me.

"I felt weak and helpless."

It was a point noted yesterday by District Judge Siva Shanmugam, who said most of Chew's victims were foreigners and were unlikely to assert their rights here.
ADVERSE EFFECT
Judge Siva also said the offences had an adverse effect on Singapore's efforts to promote itself as a retail hub with both the local and foreign media highlighting the need for caution on the part of customers when dealing with errant local retailers.

Said Adam: "The experience definitely left an indelible mark on how I purchase items. No, I won't go back (to Sim Lim Square), or to any shop that looks cheap and dubious."

Adam said he had no opinion on Chew's sentence and how the court delivered judgment.

He said: "I only wish those victimised will learn from it.

"I love Singapore and hold the Government and law enforcement in very high regard.

"I know a lot of Singaporeans are doing their part to keep the country safe for everyone."
The experience definitely left an indelible mark on how I purchase items. No, I won't go back (to Sim Lim Square), or to any shop that looks cheap and dubious. - Adam I have no one here to back me up - my family, friends are not here. I'm sure this is why they target low-wage foreign workers like me. - Adam (not his real name), one of the 26 customers fleeced by Jover Chew and his staff members

Chew set up shop to scam customers: judge

District Judge Siva Shanmugam said yesterday that Jover Chew Chiew Loon had set up Mobile Air to cheat unsuspecting customers, and the 26 cheating charges showed his persistence in doing so.

The judge added that Chew had used a variety of dishonest means and "remained unperturbed by letters from the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) and a default order from the Small Claims Tribunal".

He sentenced Chew, 33, to 33 months' jail and fined him $2,000 for 10 counts of cheating, one count of criminal intimidation and another of using insulting behaviour on a customer.

Another 16 cheating charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

His four accomplices - Koh Guan Seng, Kam Kok Keong, Lim Hong Ching and Kelvin Lim Zhi Wei - were jailed between four and 14 months each in October.

Court papers said that after setting up Mobile Air in October 2013, Chew had masterminded a scheme to lure unsuspecting customers to his Sim Lim Square shop by offering mobile devices at low prices.

He also taught his sales team a set of tricks they could use to con customers, including bullying tactics to force sales and inflating prices with exorbitant add-ons.
CHEATING
Between January and October last year, Chew and his accomplices cheated 26 customers of $12,199.

Chew actively managed Mobile Air and earned 60 per cent commission on profits from mobile phone sales.

The shop first made headlines last October after giving a customer $547 in coins as part of a $1,010 refund ordered by the Small Claims Tribunal.

It was in the spotlight again the following month after a video clip of a Vietnamese tourist kneeling in his shop and begging for a refund went viral.

Chew has since returned all $12,199 due to his 26 victims.

His mother, who was in court, was seen sobbing and hugging her son after the proceedings.

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Victim opens up on traumatic encounter with Jover Chew

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He wanted to buy an iPad Air and decided to visit Sim Lim Square. After all, he had frequented the mall previously and bought a drawing tab and piano accessories without any problems. But his decision to visit Mobile Air turned out to be one he still regrets after he was cheated of over $400 by its employees.

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For A Limited Time Only.

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A rare Chinese bowl bought for about $3 from a yard sale in the U.S. sold for $2.2 million at an auction in New York on Tuesday.

The bowl, found in New York state, "was bought for a few dollars from a tag sale near the consignor's home in the summer of 2007," said Cecilia Leung of Sotheby's. "At the time, the purchaser had no idea that they had happened upon a 1,000-year-old treasure."

The previous owner displayed the bowl in their living room for several years before they became curious about its origins and had it assessed, Leung said. Sotheby's pre-sale estimates valued the bowl, which measures just five inches in diameter, at between $200,000 to $300,000.

The 'Ding' bowl is an example of Northern Song Dynasty pottery and described by Sotheby's as "remarkable and exceptionally beautiful."

The only other known bowl of the same size, form and almost identical decoration has been in the collection of the British Museum in London for over 60 years, according to Sotheby's.

The bowl was purchased by London dealer, Giuseppe Eskenazi, for $2,225,000, after a prolonged battle between four bidders.

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Bought for $3 at yard sale, bowl sells for $2.2 million

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A rare Chinese bowl bought for about $3 from a yard sale in the U.S. sold for $2.2 million at an auction in New York on Tuesday. The bowl, found in New York state, "was bought for a few dollars from a tag sale near the consignor's home in the summer of 2007," said Cecilia Leung of Sotheby's.

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