A 49-year-old Singaporean man lost S$80,000 after a three-year online relationship with a woman who allegedly convinced him to invest in a fake business opportunity. He then lost another S$9,000-plus while trying to recover the money through someone who claimed to be a lawyer.
The man, identified only as Lee, told Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News that he met a woman using the name “Yu Ting” on Facebook in 2023. They later moved their conversations to WhatsApp and kept in contact for about three years.
Woman Allegedly Introduced Online Store Investment
According to Lee, the woman claimed she was a Singaporean living overseas and owned property in Sentosa Cove. She allegedly introduced an online store business opportunity where he could earn commissions by helping to place orders for goods.
Lee said he had doubts because the woman declined to speak over video calls or meet him in person. However, after she raised the investment opportunity again in June 2026, he eventually transferred S$80,000 within a month.
He said he initially received commissions after following instructions to place orders. However, the required payments later increased, and he was unable to complete an order worth about S$40,000.
He was then told his account had been locked and that he needed to transfer more money to restore access. After being asked to send an additional 50,000 Tether cryptocurrency, worth about S$63,794, he realised he had been scammed.
Fake Lawyer Allegedly Offered to Recover Funds
After losing the money, Lee said he looked for legal help to recover his funds and was contacted by someone claiming to be a lawyer.
The person allegedly told him he could help retrieve the money. Lee was then shown a transfer receipt claiming that 60,000 Tether, worth about S$76,552, had been credited to his cryptocurrency wallet. He was told he only needed to pay a fee to access it.
Lee said he transferred 7,153 Tether, worth about S$9,126, but the person later disappeared. He subsequently made a police report.
Singapore authorities have previously warned about fund recovery scams, where scammers impersonate legal firms or recovery services and ask victims to make upfront payments to retrieve money lost in earlier scams.
The Police have advised members of the public to verify recovery services independently and be cautious of anyone asking for payments, cryptocurrency transfers or personal information while claiming they can recover lost funds.
The ScamShield website also warns that internet love scams often involve scammers building trust over a period of time before introducing financial requests or investment opportunities.
