M'sian singer, 43, scammed over S$116,000 by 'Datuk' who promised her brand ambassador status

Malaysian singer Winnie Kok, 43, lost RM380,000 (S$116,412) to a man claiming to be a "Datuk", who promised to make her an exclusive brand ambassador for a luxury property project.

Kok, who is also known as Winnie K, recounted her ordeal in Sep. 2023 at a press conference on Oct. 10, 2025, Malaysian media reported.

Also present were her lawyer and several Malaysian artistes who turned up to support Kok.

The scam

Kok said she met the man, "Datuk A", who claimed to be a property developer, through a close friend and television host.

"Datuk" is an honorific title typically awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to Malaysia.

Over a call, Datuk A spoke at length with Kok about his upcoming projects.

"He contacted me via WeChat and promised to appoint me as an exclusive brand ambassador with a fee between RM800,000 (S$245,078) and RM1 million (S$306,347)," Kok said, as quoted by The Star.

The man told Kok that he would want to meet her in person after he came back to Malaysia to discuss the matter further, she said.

Asked her to transfer money

But at their meeting later that month, Datuk A asked her for help, she said.

“He claimed that he couldn’t access the funds in Malaysia, and hoped that I could transfer some money to start implementing the project,” Kok said, New Straits Times reported.

According to Kok, Datuk A also showed her his WeChat e-wallet balance, which had a "huge sum of money", to assure her.

Kok said she was initially hesitant as the money was meant for the medical expenses of her mother, who has dementia.

“But he was very convincing, he said he would return the money in two or three days...I believed him and transferred RM30,000 (S$9,190) for the first payment,” Kok said.

In a span of two weeks, Kok had transferred a total of RM380,000 (S$116,412) to the man.

However, the man became uncontactable, which prompted Kok to lodge a police report.

Why she is coming forward now

Kok said that she was in mental distress following the scam.

To her, it was a large sum of hard-earned money and she blamed herself for losing it.

On why she is coming forward nearly two years later, Kok said she wants to raise awareness and prevent other artistes from being scammed.

"I stayed silent because I didn't want to worry my family, but now I want others to know how easily people can fall for these scams," she said.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Michael Chong said that since last year, the department has received many similar complaints from victims who were mostly women, NST reported.

Chong said that based on their legal team's checks, Kok and others were "clearly deceived".

"We urge all victims to come forward instead of suffering in silence. Don't act impulsively or harm yourself. Please seek help," he said.

Top image from Winnie Kok's Instagram & Canva