Man, 59, sells HDB flat, gives money to online lover supposedly from China, loses S$123,000

For two years, a man in Singapore believed he had found a life partner.

Even though she told him she supposedly lived in Hangzhou, China, their relationship developed quickly after meeting on Facebook in mid-2023.

Within months, they were already addressing each other as “husband” and “wife”, and he felt deeply cared for by her affectionate words and attention.

But in July 2025, his world came crashing down when he realised it had all been a scam to take his money.

Now homeless and penniless, 59-year-old Chen (not his real name) shared his cautionary tale with Shin Min Daily News.

Met on Facebook

Chen met the woman, apparently named Huang Ping, on Facebook in mid-2023.

She claimed to be in her 30s, divorced, and raising a daughter.

Chen was drawn to her appearance, and they were able to get along well online.

Her profile picture was of a long-haired woman who appeared dolled up.

They chatted every day on the phone and he was made to feel cared for.

Asked for money

But soon, there were red flags in their relationship, just that Chen did not realise it at the time.

A few months into their relationship, the woman told him she was struggling financially and asked to borrow money.

Believing it was normal to help each other in a relationship, Chen began transferring a few thousand dollars at a time to cover Huang's living expenses.

“Sometimes she would even call me crying about how hard life was,” he recalled.

Before long, he had depleted his savings of S$30,000 to S$40,000.

Sold his HDB flat

Then came the next red flag.

Huang suggested that Chen sell his Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Ang Mo Kio and move to China to start a new life with her.

Blinded by love, Chen thought it was a good idea.

He was getting older and wanted to settle down.

In 2024, he sold his three-room flat, which was part of a redevelopment project and received about S$123,000 in compensation.

Over the course of a year, he transferred the entire sum to the woman’s designated accounts, with single transactions of up to S$40,000.

Ignored the bank’s warnings

Chen recalled that his bank had repeatedly warned him about suspicious transactions as there were signs he was being scammed.

Not believing them, he lied to bank staff, claiming he was simply sending money to a friend.

Eventually, the bank capped each of his transfers at S$200.

Determined to continue helping Huang, Chen found a workaround by withdrawing cash and using ATMs to make the transfers.

Looking back, he said he regrets not heeding the bank’s advice.

Reported to police

Left homeless, Chen turned to a friend for help.

His friend took him in and, after hearing the full story, immediately suspected it was a scam and urged him to contact the authorities.

“My friend showed me other similar cases and explained common scam tactics like using multiple bank accounts for transfers. That’s when I finally woke up,” Chen said.

He filed a police report on Jul. 21, and with his friend’s encouragement, decided to share his story publicly to warn others.

Police confirmed with Shin Min that a report had been made and that investigations are ongoing.

‘Wife’ cut off contact

In April 2025, the woman abruptly stopped communicating with Chen, claiming that her grandmother had died and she would be observing a six-month mourning period.

Chen now believes she knew he was running out of money.

He also noticed that some of their chat history had been deleted, another sign that convinced him she was a scammer, who was likely using stolen photos.

Protection from Scams Act 2025

The Protection from Scams Act 2025, which took effect on Jul. 1, allows police to intervene if a person is suspected of being a scam victim, but refuses to stop making transfers.

Under the new law, police can issue Restriction Orders (ROs) to banks to limit a victim’s financial transactions.

ROs are issued only as a last resort, after other attempts to dissuade the individual have failed.

Officers will assess the facts of each case before making a decision.

Singapore is among the first countries to introduce legislation targeting the financial behavior of scam victims to prevent further losses.

Rebuilding his life

Now, Chen is working again to support himself and rebuild his life.

“I’m very grateful to my friend for helping me. I was in a car accident in March, and surviving that helped me see things differently. The money is gone, and there’s no changing that. Regret is pointless — it was my own doing. Love blinded me,” he said.

He added that he hopes to gradually earn back what he lost, one step at a time.

Top photos from Shin Min Daily News