University student loses over $45k to woman he ‘dated’ online
It was money he saved up to pay his university fees, but the 27-year-old lost it all over a love scam.
The man, surnamed Lin, told Shin Min Daily News how his troubles began on Oct 14 when he got to know a woman named Anna on Instagram.
Said Lin: “She followed me first. When we started talking, she told me she was a Malaysian fashion designer working in Singapore. We continued chatting casually, and everything seemed normal.
“Three days later, she said she felt we had a lot in common and suggested that we start dating, so I agreed.”
The “relationship” seemed like any other at the beginning. They would text each other frequently and talk on the phone for one to two hours daily.
But things started to change.
One day, Anna asked Lin to help her with some sales transactions. She said all he needed to do was help to write product reviews and transfer some money to an account. She promised him that he would receive a commission and get his money back.
“From Oct 18 to 19, I made 14 fund transfers, which came up to $45,590. For the first two transactions, I received $116 and $735 respectively.
“But I didn’t get a cent back for the other 12 transactions,” Lin said.
He added that during the last few transactions, his “girlfriend” told him he had to transfer more money before he could receive his commission.
Feeling suspicious, the university student stopped sending Anna money and called the police.
He also called the boutique she had claimed to work for and was told that there was no such employee.
His disappointment was compounded when the police told him it was unlikely that he would get his money back.
“After the incident, I was depressed for two weeks. I lost money I saved for university, and now I’m left with nothing.”
Lin now plans to apply for financial assistance so that he can pay his school fees next semester.
“I hope that everyone will be more vigilant after reading my story and not get tricked,” he said.
The police have confirmed they received a report and are investigating.
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