Porridge stall owner showered with praise for seeking customer who paid $540 for $5.40 meal
SINGAPORE: The owner of a porridge stall in Westgate mall has drawn widespread praise from netizens after she launched a search for a customer who accidentally paid $540 for a $5.40 meal.
The incident took place on Tuesday (June 10) at around 2pm, at Mun Zuk , a well-loved local eatery. According to Mrs Tan, the stall's owner, the customer had paid using PayNow — but instead of $5.40, he entered $540 into the transaction.
'This gentleman scanned our QR code for the PayNow transaction, keyed in the amount himself and left,' Mrs Tan shared in a Facebook post, 'Our staff was busy during the time of the incident as it was lunch time.'
It wasn't until after the lunch rush had passed that staff realised the massive overpayment. Alarmed, they began searching the mall for the customer but were unable to locate him. 'We waited for him to come back, but he didn't,' Mrs Tan said.
The eatery has since taken to social media in hopes of reaching the man and returning the excess $534.60. A CCTV image of the customer was shared in the post, along with a heartfelt message: 'No questions asked — we just want to return the money to its rightful owner.'
The post quickly gained traction, with many commending Mun Zuk for its integrity. Comments flooded in, lauding the stall for its honesty and commitment to doing the right thing, even when they could have quietly kept the money.
In a time when businesses are struggling, Singaporeans said they are heartened to see such honesty. Some commenters were so impressed with Mrs Tan's honesty that they vowed to visit Westgate just to support her stall.
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CNA
a few seconds ago
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Such a place "allows for flexible use of space, and inspires spontaneity and creativity, for people to make the place feel like their own.' Consider also the staple busking act in One Holland Village. Prof Chang noted that while such performers require a permit, their presence and constant music makes the place feel welcoming. 'It doesn't seem very obvious that this person has been approved by any licensing unit. It feels organic; it doesn't feel thought-out even though it is,' he said, and added that it takes a 'very skilled planner' to curate a place that patrons can connect with effortlessly. The URA report also identified elements such as reflecting local identity and ensuring easy accessibility as key to making a great place. For One Holland Village, the need to complement and respect the neighbourhood's existing 'low-rise, shopping-street character' was a 'deliberate and central tenet' of the planning process, said Boey. 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The Internal Security Department (ISD) said that new technology like AI and 3D printing have thus far not been proven to have been used in any terror attack plot in Singapore, but they have featured in the self-radicalisation of local youths. A 17-year-old Islamic State supporter detained in September 2024, for example had used an AI chatbot to generate a bai'ah or pledge of allegiance to ISIS, as well as a declaration of armed jihad against non-Muslims to inspire other Muslims in Singapore to engage in armed violence. In another case, a 17-year-old supporter of far-right extremist ideologies detained in March this year had searched for instructions on an AI chatbot on how to produce ammunition, and considered 3D-printing his own firearms as part of his plans to conduct attacks locally. 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Third, AI could be used by radicalised individuals to generate and suggest plans and strategies to conduct terror attacks, which would be especially appealing to younger, more vulnerable individuals who may not have been exposed to formal training or direct contact with terror organisations. Combined with existing trends such as using AI to produce deepfake videos, and the other tactics detailed in the report, these present a complex and complicated environment that can only increase the chances of terrorism threats permeating across the world. WHAT CAN BE DONE While the report makes clear that there is currently no specific intelligence of an imminent terrorist attack against Singapore, it is important to not take such relative peace for granted. All eight Singaporeans dealt with under the country's Internal Security Act since last July were self-radicalised by extremist materials they found online. ISD said that such platforms have accelerated the time taken between individuals' first encounter with terrorist and radical elements, and their subscription to violent extremist ideologies. Statistics show that the time taken for self-radicalisation for cases detected in Singapore has essentially halved from 24 months prior to 2015, to an average of 12 months between 2021 and 2025. Some cases took mere weeks. In particular, the vulnerability of the youth to radicalisation remains a pressing concern. Much of ISD's prescribed efforts to counter the risk of terrorism and violent extremism are focused on enhancing counter-terrorism capabilities, beefing up border security, and working with social and education agencies to address the threat early. However, given the potential for emerging and evolving technologies such as AI to be used by terrorist organisations to enable and enhance their efforts and operations, equal emphasis should be placed on identifying such threats as early as possible. This will require close collaboration between the government and security agencies and technology counterparts in the private sector, while also ensuring the people are educated and kept up to date on such threats as soon as they are detected, whether at home or abroad.
Independent Singapore
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