Daijiworld Media Network - Singapore
Singapore, Oct 20: A 71-year-old man in Singapore has lost his retirement savings of S$21,688 after falling victim to a lottery scam advertised on Facebook, leaving him struggling to afford basic necessities.
The victim, identified as Yang, is currently unemployed after his cleaning contract expired. He told Shin Min Daily News that he had been left with little money and was surviving on instant noodles and bread.
According to the report, Yang came across the advertisement in late August and initially tried calling the number provided but could not get through. In early September, he received a return call from someone claiming to have connections within Singapore Pools who could provide winning lottery numbers in advance.
The scammers allegedly demanded different amounts for the promised numbers, including S$1,988 for first-prize numbers, S$1,688 for second-prize numbers and S$1,388 for third-prize numbers.
When Yang said he could not afford the payments, they offered him an alternative arrangement involving S$500 for account registration and another S$500 for five sets of 4D lottery numbers.
On September 5, Yang received the numbers and was promised a potential prize of S$300,000. However, none of the numbers matched the winning results.
When he questioned the callers, they claimed the numbers had been sold out because of high demand and promised to arrange for an insider to alter the tickets.
The following day, Yang received a message claiming he had won the first prize, along with a photograph of a cheque worth S$300,000.
To claim the supposed winnings, he was asked to transfer another S$1,488. On September 9, the scammers demanded S$5,850 as handling fees, claiming that a large transfer could raise money-laundering concerns. Two days later, they sought another S$7,840.
Yang filed a police report on September 16 after the promised payout failed to materialise. However, hoping to receive the money, he subsequently transferred another S$3,500.
He eventually realised he had been cheated after receiving further payment demands and reading reports about similar scams.
With his savings gone and his employment contract expired, Yang said he was struggling to meet his daily needs.
Police investigations into the case are ongoing.