Woman Arrested in Singapore Over Fun Coffee Investment Scheme

The Rise and Collapse of Fun Coffee

Fun Coffee entered the Singaporean market in 2025, positioning itself as a lifestyle brand combining coffee, wellness and digital innovation into a community experience. The company, which claimed to be based in Phu Quoc, Vietnam, asserted it held assets exceeding US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) and maintained a workforce of more than 5,000 employees. On its website, the firm promoted a Financial Model that promised to connect users’ activities and interactions into a unified system that rewards participation and fosters community growth.

The scheme’s business model relied on aggressive recruitment and high-yield promises. Participants were required to download a dedicated mobile application and transfer Tether (USDT), a cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar, into digital wallets provided by the platform. The system offered additional commissions to users who successfully recruited others into the scheme.

The operation abruptly ceased functioning on July 20, when the Fun Coffee application went offline. This collapse left participants unable to withdraw their funds. By early August, investigations across the region revealed the scale of the losses: victims in Hong Kong and Macau alone reported losing nearly HK$100 million (S$16.3 million), with more than 220 complaints filed with authorities.

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Arrests in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau

Law enforcement agencies have moved to dismantle the syndicate across multiple jurisdictions. Authorities in Hong Kong and Macau arrested eight individuals linked to the platform for their alleged roles in the scheme. Following these developments, Singaporean police arrested a 49-year-old woman on August 6 for her active role in promoting the venture and recruiting new participants.

The woman faces investigation under the Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Selling (Prohibition) Act. If charged and convicted, she could face an imprisonment term of up to five years, a fine not exceeding $200,000, or both.

“The police advise the public not to make any further payments or transfers to the scheme, even when approached by individuals claiming to represent ‘Fun Coffee’ or through requests made via the ‘Fun Coffee’ application.”

Singapore Police Force

Investor Experiences and Red Flags

For many victims, the financial impact has been severe. One 48-year-old Singaporean resident reported losing approximately $400,000 after investing her business capital into the app. I feel very guilty, because I introduced them to this. I even invested all the money from my business, she told Shin Min Daily News. She noted that she initially received about $10,000 in returns, which she reinvested, before the platform became inaccessible.

Observers who scrutinized the company earlier in 2025 identified several warning signs. Bryan Ho, a finance professional, attended a promotional event in Kent Ridge on October 20, 2025, after hearing about the high returns. He described the event as very weird, childish and basic, noting that participants were asked to perform activities like folding paper planes. Ho further observed that the company’s promotional materials contained poorly written English and AI-generated images, which fueled his suspicions.

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When Ho visited a registered Fun Coffee location at 692 Geylang Road in October 2025, he found no professional coffee setup, only a machine in a corner. Another location at 202 Jalan Besar, which featured a coffee-making robot, also drew scrutiny from investigators.

Ongoing Police Guidance

Authorities continue to urge caution regarding investment opportunities that promise returns far exceeding market norms. The police have highlighted that requests for payments via private PayNow QR codes, personal mobile numbers, or transfers to overseas accounts are significant red flags. Investors are encouraged to perform independent due diligence before committing funds to any platform, particularly those that require bypassing device security features to install proprietary applications.