A 68-year-old man lost more than $10,000 after falling for an online “beauty trap.” He transferred money several times to a woman he met on Facebook, believing she was coming to Singapore to meet him.
Mr Huang, who works in sales, told Shin Min Daily News that he met a Chinese woman named “Li Xin” in August. After she added him on Facebook, they started chatting on WhatsApp about work and daily life.
About a week later, Li Xin told him she wanted to visit Singapore to meet him. But she claimed she had previously committed an offence here and was restricted from entering, unless she paid for special approval.
“She said she wanted to come here to have fun with me, but because she once committed an offence in Singapore, she needed to pay for approval before entering,” said Mr Huang.
Convinced by her appearance and sweet words, Mr Huang agreed to help. Soon after, he received a call from someone claiming to be a Chinese government officer named “Officer Wang,” who said Li Xin needed to pay a deposit and service fees before she could leave China.
Eager to see her, Mr Huang made several bank transfers to the given accounts over the next week. But Li Xin never showed up.
“She later told me that she couldn’t leave China because she was carrying too much jewellery, and customs refused to let her through,” he said.
A few days later, Li Xin contacted him again, saying she truly wanted to meet him and asked for more money. Mr Huang transferred several thousand dollars more to help with the new application.
This time, she told him she had successfully boarded a flight to Singapore. But soon after, she claimed she was detained at customs for carrying too much cash and sent him airport and aeroplane photos as “proof.” Mr Huang then transferred another $1,000 to “bail her out.”
Scammed into paying a $600 “apology fee”
Not long after, Li Xin told him she had met with a car accident on her way to meet him and was hospitalised. When Mr Huang offered to visit her, she refused to share the hospital’s location.
At that point, Mr Huang began to doubt her. But when he questioned her, Li Xin got angry and demanded $600 for “medical fees” and another $600 as an “apology fee” before agreeing to meet. Mr Huang eventually gave in.
When the meeting day came, Li Xin claimed she was caught in traffic and did not appear. The next day, she said she was already in Malaysia and would only meet him after returning.
That was when Mr Huang realised he had been scammed. In total, he lost more than $10,000.
The Singapore Police Force confirmed that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.
