S'pore woman, 57, loses over S$461,000 to scammer posing as fruit seller online

A 57-year-old woman wanting to buy fruits online ended up losing S$461,116 in just three days.

She had come across a Facebook link advertising fruits, but it turned out to be part of a scam.

A man involved in the scam, Yang Li Hao (transliteration from Chinese), 22, has now been sentenced to 15 months in jail, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Wanted to buy fruits

On Jul. 23, 2023, the woman saw an online advertisement for fruits on Facebook and decided to place an order.

The "fruit vendor" instructed her to download a mobile phone app as part of the process.

Unbeknownst to her, the app contained malware that allowed the scammers to access her bank account.

Over the next three days, the scam group made illegal transfers from her account to 34 different accounts, totalling S$461,116.

After realising she had been scammed, the victim filed a police report on Jul. 27.

Scam group approached man to withdraw money

Yang, who was a runner for the scam group, helped make nine withdrawals adding up to S$45,000, from one of the accounts between Jul. 24 and 25, 2023.

During the investigation, Yang revealed that he was added to a Telegram group in April 2023, where someone offered him the opportunity to earn money.

After expressing interest, he was added to another group and instructed to withdraw money from different ATMs as per the group's directions.

He was promised a reward of S$50 to S$300 for each transaction.

Yang was eventually arrested, and he pleaded guilty on Mar. 11.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison and will begin to serve his sentence on Apr. 11.

Police warn against money mule activities

In a media release on a separate case of money mule activities earlier this month, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said they take a serious view of such offences and will “not hesitate to act against individuals who may be involved in scams”.

Perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law, they added.

SPF also advised members of the public to reject “seemingly attractive money-making opportunities promising fast and easy pay-outs” in exchange for Singpass or banking credentials, or for allowing their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others.

They reiterated that individuals will be held accountable if they are found to be linked to such crimes.

Top photo from Canva