Customer tries to sell an allegedly fake Rolex for $19k, gets called out by Far East Plaza shop owner

Fake it till you make it.

We’ve all heard this aphorism but one man took it a little too far when he allegedly attempted to pass off a fake Rolex watch as genuine to a watch shop in Far East Plaza.

This hopeful man was looking at getting $19,000 for his Rolex GMT-Master II but an eagle-eyed shop owner, Edmund Koh, stopped him in his tracks. 

Bruceleekoh, a TikTok user, posted a video of their interaction on Tuesday (May 10) and it received 92,000 views and over 200 comments at the time of writing.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@bruceleekoh/video/7096200375056780546?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6944924152827184641[/embed]

The 59-second clip was of a CCTV footage from inside Koh’s shop, Three Crowns Watches and Jewellery Pte Ltd.

AsiaOne spoke to Koh who said that on Tuesday (May 10) at about 1pm, this customer went into his shop claiming that his father bought the watch brand new but lost the box and certificate.

Koh said the watch looked "very real" at first glance.

"I carefully examined every tiny bit and spotted something strange in the Rolex mini crown crest. It looked rather fake," Koh recounted.

In the video, the 63-year-old shop owner could be seen dismantling the watch to inspect it further.

"I opened the back case to prove to him [it was] fake. He did not accept it initially but I showed him the fake machine with plastic support, which a [genuine] Rolex would not have," Koh explained.

Koh said that he then pointed to the high commendation award he received from the Singapore Police Force in 1981.

Koh told AsiaOne that he was a former police officer but in the end, he decided to let the customer off with just a warning. 

Even then, the customer continued "pretending to be a good guy" before he eventually left the shop, said Koh.

Koh mentioned that this kind of incident has happened to him about five times in the past two years. 

In the comments section, some netizens praised Koh for not reporting the incident.

"You have a kind heart not to report. Very rare," one said.

Another mentioned the customer was really lucky to have gone to his shop.

Under the Trade Marks Act, it is an offence to counterfeit a trademark by creating a copy of it or altering the trademark on a legitimate good.

If found guilty, one is liable to a fine of up to $100,000, or to a jail term of up to 5 years, or both.

ALSO READ: Young man wearing fake Rolex allegedly steals two real Rolexes from store in Far East Plaza

amierul@asiaone.com

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