S'pore woman, 75, thought she was speaking to Elon Musk, transferred S$600,000 to scammer over 3 years

A man claiming to be Elon Musk approached a lady in Singapore online, asking her for help saving his business.

Believing Musk needed her help, she began transferring him money as instructed.

Unbeknownst to her, it was all a scam.

The 75-year-old eventually lost around S$600,000 to the scammer.

The scam lasted around three to four years, only stopping when a Restriction Order (RO) was issued by the police under the Protection from Scams Act 2025.

The law allows police to direct banks to restrict an individual’s banking and credit facilities if there is reason to believe they may transfer money to scammers or take up credit to benefit them.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao and The Straits Times, the woman’s daughters, Faith and Sarah Phua, said the RO was “the best thing that happened to [their] family”, as their mother still does not believe she was being scammed.

They said their mother had been diagnosed with psychosis in late 2025.

She is the first person to be issued an RO since the law came into effect on Jul. 1, 2025.

Exhausted her savings

According to her daughters, the woman drained her savings and had even planned to sell her S$2 million apartment.

The RO took effect at a critical moment, restricting her banking access.

In April 2025, police contacted the family after the woman attempted to transfer S$67,000.

The transaction had raised alarms at Standard Chartered Bank, prompting police intervention.

Her daughters later discovered she had been communicating for years with a man claiming to be Elon Musk.

Believed scammer was real

The scammer first contacted her on social media before moving the conversation to WhatsApp.

He also used AI to conduct video calls.

Over the years, the woman transferred between S$1,000 and S$5,000 at a time to various bank accounts, amounting to about S$600,000.

Because she communicated with the scammer late at night, her family did not initially suspect anything.

She remained convinced the man was genuine, claiming she was helping him manage his business.

She reportedly refused to accept that she had been scammed and became upset when her family tried to intervene.

She also declined to show chat records and rejected explanations from both her family and the police.

The woman continued attempting to transfer money using her own and her family’s accounts.

She also planned to sell her apartment and terminate her insurance policies to raise more funds.

Police eventually issued the RO on Jul. 10, restricting her access to banking services.

Prevented further losses

One of her daughters said she remained on constant alert, even after undergoing hand surgery, out of fear that her mother would continue transferring money.

She added that without the RO, her 83-year-old father might not have been able to undergo heart valve replacement surgery in January, and the family’s finances could have been depleted.

“My mother still doesn’t realise she’s been scammed. The restraining order being in effect is the best thing that has ever happened to our family,” she said.

Protection from Scams Act 2025

Since the Protection from Scams Act came into effect on Jul. 1, 2025, the Singapore Police Force has issued 14 Restriction Orders to banks as of Mar. 24, 2026.

The decision to issue a RO will be made by a police officer, based on an assessment of the facts and circumstances of each case.

A RO will be in effect for a maximum of 30 days at a time.

If more time is required to put in place the necessary intervention measures, the police may extend the RO for up to 30 days at a time, up to a maximum of five extensions.

The RO can be cancelled ahead of the 30-day limit when the police assess that the individual is no longer at risk of being scammed.

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