'I'm penniless': Elderly man loses $21,000 after falling for 'sure-win' lottery scam

He was promised a win at the lottery, but the only one who 'won' was the scammer.

An elderly man has lost over $20,000 in life savings after falling for a scam on Facebook, Shin Min Daily News reported on Sunday (Oct 18).

The 71-year-old, surnamed Yang, told the Chinese daily that he had come across a Facebook advertisement in August that promised punters guaranteed lottery wins.

While his call to the number provided in the advertisement didn't get through, he was later contacted by the other party a few days later.

Yang was told that they had insiders in Singapore Pools who could share predictions on winning numbers for 4D draws. 

They then asked Yang to make payment — $1,988 for first prize, $1,688 for second prize, or $1,388 for third prize.

Unable to fork out the sum required, Yang was told to use $500 to set up an account with them, followed by another $500 to buy five sets of numbers.

On Sept 5, Yang was given five sets of 4D numbers and promised a sum of $300,000 if he won first prize.

That evening, he didn't win. None of his numbers matched the 4D results, prompting him to question the other party.

Yang was then told that there was an insider who could help him change the 4D numbers and win.

"The next day, the person sent me a message saying that I had won the jackpot, and sent me a photo of a cheque for $300,000," he told Shin Min.

To obtain the $300,000, however, Yang would need to keep his promise and transfer the remaining $1,488 to make up for the first prize fee. Yang obliged.

On Sept 9, he faced a new issue, as the other party claimed that they required $5,850 as a handling fee because the large sum in the transfer might be flagged for money laundering.

Two days later, Yang was told to transfer a further $7,840.

Unable to receive his lottery winnings after wiring the money, Yang reported the incident to the police on Sept 16.

Holding out hope for the windfall, Yang sent the other party another $3,500, Shin Min reported.

"I've transferred over $20,000 in total and I'm now penniless," he admitted.

"My contract as a janitor expired last month and I am currently unemployed. I can only eat instant noodles and bread every day," Yang said.

He has lost a total of $21,688.

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com