A 73-year-old woman in Singapore lost $30,000 to a scammer pretending to be from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), but when the scammer came back to ask for more money, the granny fought back and helped the police catch him.
Last Monday (8 July), retired grandmother Cai Yiliang (transliteration) received a phone call from someone claiming to be an MAS officer. The caller said she was under investigation for money laundering.
“He knew my full name and NRIC number, so I believed him,” Cai told Shin Min Daily News.
“He told me to withdraw some money for investigation purposes and promised to return it after checking. He also warned me that if I didn’t cooperate, I could go to jail and should not tell my family.”
Frightened, she withdrew $30,000 in cash from a bank in Clementi by making two withdrawals at an ATM.
After returning to her daughter’s home in Pasir Panjang, she handed the money to a man who came to her door. He wore a cap and mask and didn’t say a word before walking off with the cash.
“I wanted to take a photo of the handover, but the scammer on the phone told me not to,” she said. Later, they even sent her a fake MAS letter to make her feel assured.
Cai only realised it was a scam when her grandson noticed something was off about the letter. Her daughter then quickly reported the case to the police.
Shockingly, the scammer contacted her again the next day using a different phone number, asking for another $30,000.
This time, the family decided to turn the tables.
With her younger daughter holding her phone, they pretended to play along. They agreed to meet the scammer again and alerted the police. Cai even acted as though she had leg pain and couldn’t go out, asking the scammer to book a ride for her to the bank.
The bank staff helped them prepare a fake envelope stuffed with paper to look like it contained cash.
Back at the house, the same man showed up. He looked around nervously and took the envelope, but before he could leave, plainclothes police hiding nearby pounced and arrested him on the spot.
Cai admitted it’s unlikely she’ll get her money back, but she hopes her story will warn other elderly people not to fall for the same trick.
“I just don’t want others to be scammed like I was,” she said.
