SINGAPORE, Dec 27 — A Singaporean man transferred S$3,999 (RM12,558.57) to a woman he met on TikTok after she claimed she was being held hostage and on the brink of being sold into prostitution.
The 49-year-old air conditioning technician, identified only by his surname Lin, only realised later that it was all a scam, Singapore news outlet Shin Min Daily News reported.
Lin told Shin Min that the woman messaged him on December 16, claiming she had lost S$20,000 (RM62,820.30) in an investment scam three months after arriving in Singapore.
She claimed to have been held hostage as she could not repay the money.
Lin admitted he was suspicious at first but was convinced when the woman called him and cried, saying she would be forced into prostitution if she failed to pay.
He repeatedly asked for a video call, but the woman said her captor would not allow it, Lin told Shin Min.
Lin switched to WhatsApp and discovered the woman was using a Hong Kong number.
When he confronted her, she claimed to be from Guangdong and came to Singapore via Hong Kong.
The woman refused to send photos and only agreed to a masked video call on December 19, which lasted less than a minute before she hung up, Lin said.
Lin said the woman called him “dear” and promised to be his girlfriend if he paid her debt.
On December 20, her “boss” gave Lin an Amoy Street address to pick her up after paying her debt, according to Lin.
Lin transferred S$1,000 (RM3,138.23) but was told it was too late to release her.
On December 22, he sent another S$2,999 (RM9,417.44) after she asked for help again, Lin said.
The woman’s “boss” then demanded S$3,000 (RM9,420.59) for rent, and Lin realised he had been scammed.
He lodged a police report, which authorities confirmed to the outlet.
Shin Min reported that the Amoy Street address turned out to be a restaurant, whose staff said they were unaware of the scam.
Lin told Shin Min he had been scammed before on Facebook seven years ago over a donation for Thai deities.
“I only watch television or YouTube and only downloaded TikTok after a friend said everyone was using it,” he was quoted as saying, and has since deleted all his social media accounts and reduced online usage to avoid further scams.