{
  "id": 12374890,
  "title": "‘Singaporeans are too rich?’ French woman wonders why no one picked up a S$5 bill on the ground",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/singaporeans-are-too-rich-french-woman-wonders-why-no-one-picked-up-a",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T12:03:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Independent Singapore",
    "slug": "the-independent-singapore",
    "url": "https://theindependent.sg/singaporeans-are-too-rich-french-woman-wonders-why-no-one-picked-up-a-s-5-bill-on-the-ground"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A French woman living in Singapore has been baffled by the city-state's peculiar behavior. In a TikTok video, she observed that people in Singapore often leave money on the ground rather than picking it up. One example cited was a five-dollar bill left on the floor, with no one taking notice of its presence. She questioned the reason behind this, asking if Singaporeans were unusually wealthy. Comments on her video attempted to explain the phenomenon. Some attributed it to Malay folklore, which warns that picking up random money may attract a malevolent spirit called Hantu. Others pointed out that taking money in Singapore is generally discouraged due to cultural norms. However, not everyone agreed with this explanation, as some claimed that people in Singapore regularly rummage through bins for smaller coins. A Singaporean user responded by mentioning that while they would pick up a small amount, they would avoid taking large bills like a $100 note, unless it was the seventh month of the lunar calendar.",
  "summary": "SINGAPORE: A woman from France has been living in Singapore for some time now, but Singaporeans continue to perplex, perhaps even amaze, her. In a recent TikTok video, Audrey Thiloy joked about how “weird” Singapore is, because people anywhere else are likely to act very differently. “Singapore is so weird, bro. There’s five bucks on the floor, and nobody is taking the five bucks. I don’t know…",
  "key_points": [
    "French woman puzzled by Singaporeans leaving money on ground.",
    "TikTok video shows a $5 bill ignored on floor.",
    "Cultural beliefs and norms cited as reasons for inaction."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}