'We've met before in Chinatown': Scammer befriends woman, 55, convinces her into 'investing' $60k

A woman received a call from an unknown number and then went to strike up a friendship with the stranger who claimed they had met before.

Over the next two months, she handed him $60,000 in cash, believing that he was helping her invest the sum.

The physical transactions took place without her ever seeing the man.

The 55-year-old cleaner, surnamed Wang, realised she had fallen for a scam when the man cut off contact after learning that she had no more funds, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The victim told the Chinese evening daily that a person named "Li Lindong" (transliteration) had called her on messaging platform WhatsApp last October.

"He said he had seen me in Chinatown several days ago and called as he wanted to know me. I occasionally accompany my mother there, so I didn't think too much about it and believed him," she said.

Wang said the man frequently called her to chat and had sent her pictures of himself in luxury cars and a mansion, as well as photos of his "daughter".

About two weeks after they connected, Li suggested that Wang join him in forex trading.

While initially suspicious, she was persuaded to "invest" $10,000 after he repeatedly assured her that there was little risk and vowed that it was not a scam.

"He said that if he scammed me, he would be hit by a car and struck by lightning," she recounted.

Borrowed money, took loan

As she did not know how to use the mobile application which Li had asked her to install, he arranged for her to pass him the sum in cash.

In total, Wang gave $60,000 to him over the span of two months.

She borrowed money from friends and family, withdrew her CPF savings and even taken out a loan of $10,000 from a company recommended to her by Li.

Wang also described how Li instructed her to place the notes in a plastic bag and meet with his "customer service representative" at a mall.

"Strangely, the person who came to collect the money was different each time. They were in their '20s or '30s," she told Shin Min.

Li also sent her screenshots of the "trades" which purportedly showed her profits from the investments — but Wang said she was not educated and did not understand the "reports".

She subsequently told her children about what happened and lodged a police report.

"I plucked up the courage to share my experience as I hope to remind everyone to be careful and not to easily believe what others say," she added.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com