Business owner now a food delivery rider after lending over $200,000 to man he met at poker game
A former business owner claimed he was scammed out of more than $200,000 by someone he met at a poker game.
Stomper Ethan, who is now a food delivery rider, shared a photo of the alleged scammer taking a shirtless mirror selfie.
"I lost everything because I trusted the wrong person," Ethan told Stomp.
"V scammed me out of $200,000 - my life savings, the capital I poured into building my business. Overnight, everything collapsed. My business was gone. So was my stability.
"Then came the debt collectors - not just to my door, but to my aunt's home. The stress of it all was too much for her. She passed away not long after. That guilt will stay with me forever."
"At my own home, I lived in fear. Debt collectors came banging on the door, threatening to burn the house down if I didn't pay up. I was so afraid, I started sleeping in stairwells, hiding like a rat, constantly looking over my shoulder."
He has since made a police report, which he shared with Stomp.
In the report, Ethan explained how he started transferring large sums of money to V.
"I got to know him through some poker games with my friends," recounted the Stomper in the police report.
"Initially, we didn't talk much, but in early 2024, he called me suddenly to ask for a loan of $8,000 in the wee hours of the morning. I transferred the money to him.
"After that, when I asked him about the loan back, he told me that he would be able to return the money to me within a week. He did not pay me back.
"He suddenly told me that he had to leave Singapore for work in the US. I told him that I needed my money back.
"V told me that he had a painting with him which he could sell for money, but he had to pay taxes and other fees. He told me that he did not have money to pay the fees and told me to loan him more money.
"V told me that only after he sold the painting could he pay me. During this period of time, he told me that there were many problems with the painting and kept asking me for more. I made many money transfers to him. The total fees added up to over $200,000."
Then V's father entered the story.
"V told me that he was working for his father, who is the owner of the company," said Ethan.
"He told me that if the sale of the painting did not go through, he would collect his dividend from the company in December and would be able to pay me. That is why I believed him and continued to pass money to him.
"When December 2024 came and I asked him for my money back, he started telling me that his father wanted him to conclude a business deal that he was handling in US before coming back. He told me that he would delay his return until January or February 2025.
"On Dec 22, 2024, he sent me a message that he was able to get a million dollars extra from Goldman Sachs's fund, but he needed another $31,000. I told him that I had no more money, but he told me to loan from my friends first. I told him that I could not help him anymore."
As the new year began, the Stomper still hadn't been repaid.
"On Jan 13, 2025, I called him to ask for my money back and realised that his phone was local dial tone," said Ethan.
"I asked him if he was back in Singapore, and he told me that after he concluded the business deal, he took the money to pay off his debts and his father had lodged a police report that he had embezzled money.
"V claimed that his brother told him to lay low for the time being.
"I got suspicious and decided to check on him. I went to check with Acra (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) and found out that he had registered a company in December 2024."
Having found V's Woodlands address, the Stomper went to the flat on Jan 16 and spoke to the occupant.
"He told me that he is the father of V, and he is not any company director," said Ethan.
"He also told me that if I had passed money to V, he most probably would have gambled it away. He also told me that V was not staying there but would only come back occasionally."
The Stomper said he messaged V, who claimed he did not borrow money from Ethan.
"He also told me not to threaten him with useless stuff," said the Stomper in the police report.
"After that, I decided to print notes with his photos to scatter around his neighbourhood. I also bought two bottles of kerosene and one bicycle chain, and left them outside his unit."
Ethan has since become a food delivery rider.
In response to a Stomp query, the police confirmed that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.
"But even with the police report filed, V is still out there - going to clubs, spending nights at the casino, living in luxury off the money he stole from me," Ethan told Stomp.
"And me? I'm still scraping by, in survival mode, trying to rebuild what he destroyed."
