A man allegedly used a magnet to pull a Pokémon tin into a claw machine’s prize chute after inserting coins and operating the claw. The entire incident was caught on CCTV. The operator said this was the first time he had encountered such a case and had reported it to the police.

Xiao Qinyuan, 33, who runs claw machine shop Kuclaw, contacted Shin Min Daily News to say that this was the first time in his six years in the business that he had encountered someone using a magnet to “cheat”.

He said the man used a magnet to take a Pokémon tin worth $45 from a claw machine. He hoped media coverage would alert others in the industry.

The incident happened at 1.45pm on Thursday (5 November) at Kuclaw in Sunshine Plaza on Bencoolen Street.

Footage he provided shows a man standing in front of a claw machine, operating its controls with his right hand while holding an object against the left side of the machine with his left hand. The object is believed to be a magnet, but this attempt was unsuccessful.

The man then inserted more coins and operated the claw again. The moment the claw lifted the tin, he used the magnet in his other hand to pull it towards the prize chute. The distinct clatter of the tin falling can also be heard in the video.

Xiao said the man had inserted only about $30 before using a magnet to “cheat”, managing to get the Pokémon tin in two attempts. “Our claw machines have rules. If someone has put in $200 and still hasn’t won a prize, we will give them one outright.”

The speculation is that the man may initially have been playing the claw machine normally, only resorting to the magnet after more than 20 unsuccessful attempts.

Judging by the man’s practised movements, Xiao believed this was not his first time using a magnet to “cheat”. Although he had reported the incident to the police, he still hoped the man would come forward to apologise and return the item.

“By making his actions public, I hope not only to alert others in the industry, but also to let the public know that our shops have surveillance cameras. We take a serious view of dishonest methods used to obtain prizes.”

For the full report, see the 7 November 2026 edition of Shin Min Daily News.