A 75-year-old woman in Singapore fell victim to an online love scam, ultimately giving more than S$270,000 to a man she considered her "lover".
The scam came to light when the woman's brothers discovered she had uploaded receipts of her transfers on her social media, prompting them to alert the police.
According to Shin Min Daily News, S$150,000 of the money was handed over to a runner who was sentenced to 11 months in jail on Apr. 26, 2024.
Met the man on Facebook
The retired 75-year-old first encountered the man, known as "Chenghan" (transliteration from Chinese), on Facebook in July 2023 when he commented on one of her photos.
They switched to chatting on WhatsApp as their "relationship" developed.
Claiming he desired to settle in Singapore and live with her, Chenghan convinced the woman to help him with a "warehouse fee" of S$23,800.
Soon after, he persuaded her to invest S$150,000 in his purported business venture.
The woman withdrew S$150,000 in cash and put it into two small paper bags. She then handed the money to an unknown man on Sep. 7, 2023.
Payment receipts uploaded to social media
Subsequently, she shared a payment receipt of S$23,800 on social media, along with Facebook Stories indicating three payments totalling S$273,800.
A friend of her brothers noticed these posts and promptly informed them.
The brothers discovered Chenghan's endearing messages to the woman on Facebook, leading them to involve the authorities.
Runner arrested and sentenced to 11 months in jail
The runner, named Mortel Virgilio Jr Marcial, 42, was sentenced to 11 months in jail for his part in the scam.
Marcial pleaded guilty to one count of transferring benefits from criminal conduct and another charge of keeping benefits from criminal conduct was taken into consideration for sentencing.
Shin Min reported that on Sep. 7, 2023, he had helped to receive S$150,000 from the woman and S$12,000 from another victim.
He kept S$5,500 as his reward and handed over the remaining amount to an accomplice, who converted the stolen money into virtual currency.
Several items Marcial used to commit the crime were also seized as case exhibits.
Photo from Singapore Police Force
Speaking through an interpreter, Marcial explained that he was in debt at the time of his offence, and his "meagre" income was not enough to support his family of six, Shin Min reported.
He asked for leniency so he could go home to reunite with his family as soon as possible.
Top photo from Canva