‘Weird, childish’ events and bad coffee: How a S’porean sniffed out the Fun Coffee investment scam

In October 2025, Bryan Ho, a 40-year-old finance professional, became suspicious of the returns promised by Fun Coffee, an investment scheme based in Vietnam. Ho noticed that the company's website appeared poorly made and did not provide clear details about its headquarters, which the company claimed to be in Phu Quoc. Despite his doubts, Ho attended a Fun Coffee event at Kent Ridge on October 20, 2025, where organizers promised a $50 cash reward for attendees.

The event, attended by about 10 to 12 people, mostly seniors, featured basic activities such as folding paper planes and relay races. The organizers filmed videos and took photos, which were later posted on their TikTok channel. According to Ho, the event was "weird, childish, and basic."

Around the same time, Hong Kong and Macau authorities arrested eight people allegedly linked to the scheme, which had reportedly defrauded 200 people of nearly HK$100 million (S$16.3 million). On August 6, Singapore police arrested a 49-year-old woman who had actively promoted the investment scheme and recruited others. Ho later discovered that some organizers were micro-influencers who had been actively promoting Fun Coffee online.

At the event, Ho was given coffee samples and $60 in cash, along with a magazine describing the company's projects. The magazine contained poorly written, AI-generated content with exaggerated claims about the company's investments in Amazon, smart homes, and telemedicine. Ho tried the coffee at home and found it to be of poor quality, despite the claims of Lingzhi content. Checks showed that the Fun Coffee shop at 692 Geylang Road had been replaced by a durian seller weeks after the event.

Ho downloaded an app via a QR code and was instructed to bypass phone security features to install it, with the promise of higher returns by investing more money. One woman lost $400,000 after investing through the app, which went offline on July 20. Ho made a police report in 2025 and warned friends and family not to invest in the scheme. Police cautioned the public against making further payments or transfers to the scheme, especially through private PayNow QR codes, personal mobile numbers, or overseas accounts.