'I was blinded by love': Man sells flat, gives $163k to 'Hangzhou lady' he never met
He thought he had found his soulmate. But after two years of sweet talk and phone calls, Mr Chen, 59, realised he had fallen for a love scam that cost him his savings and his home.
The Singaporean man met a woman calling herself "Huang Ping" on Facebook in mid-2023. She claimed to be a 30-something divorcee from Hangzhou, China, with a young daughter.
"She was good-looking and caring. We clicked right away," said Mr Chen (not his real name) told Shin Min Daily News. "We called each other 'husband' and 'wife', and chatted every day after work. She really seemed to care for me."
But after a few months, Huang began asking for small sums - several thousand dollars at a time - for daily expenses.
"I thought it was normal for couples to support each other. Sometimes, she'd call me crying and said she was having a hard time. I was really moved and my heart softened."
Moved by her tears and constant affection, Mr Chen agreed to help.
Eventually, he used up his savings of around $40,000.
Sell your home, come to China
Then came a bigger ask: Sell his HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio, move to China, and start a new life with her. "She said we could retire there together. I thought, why not? I'm getting older, and I wanted to live out my retirement in China."
Convinced, Mr Chen returned his three-room flat under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) and received about $123,000 in compensation.
Over the span of a year, he transferred all of it to Huang's designated account.
'I was so obsessed'
After burning through his savings and selling his home, Mr Chen was left with only a few thousand dollars in his bank account and no roof over his head. He sought help from a friend, who took him in.
"When I told my friend the full story, he immediately said I'd been scammed and urged me to report it to the police," said Mr Chen.
He admitted he was initially in denial until his friend showed him similar cases online. The use of multiple bank accounts for transfers was a red flag. Only then did he snap out of it.
Mr Chen finally lodged a police report on July 21. With encouragement from friends, he also decided to go public with his experience in hopes of warning others.
Police confirmed they had received a report and that investigations are ongoing.
He also revealed that more than a year ago, staff at his bank began expressing concern about his frequent transfers. They suspected fraud and advised him to stop.
"I told them I was sure it wasn't a scam," he said. "But every time I made a transfer, they would call and ask questions. I lied and said it was to a friend."
Eventually, the bank capped his transfers at $200 per transaction. Determined to continue helping his "girlfriend", he began withdrawing cash and depositing it via ATM.
Looking back, Mr Chen expressed regret for ignoring the bank's warnings.
"I was so obsessed then. It seems childish now."
'She disappeared after saying her grandmother died'
Two months ago, the woman calling herself Huang Ping abruptly stopped contacting him. She claimed her grandmother had died and that she would be in mourning for six months.
After that, she vanished completely.
"I noticed she had deleted some of our chats. That's when I became certain she was a scammer. I believe the photos she used might have been stolen too."
Despite losing his home and life savings, Mr Chen is trying to move forward. He is looking for a new job and plans to rent a flat, hoping not to burden his friends for too long.
"I'm thankful for their help. I was in a car accident in March, and after surviving that, I realised I needed to let go. The money is gone, and there's no point regretting it. This was my own fault, I was blinded by love.
"Now that I can still work, I will earn the money back slowly and move on."
