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ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: LIM SIN THAI
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ALL it took was an hour-long phone call from a stranger to convince a Singapore school teacher to transfer $5,500 to her.
Over the next two months, the teacher, in her 30s, even borrowed from friends and a bank to send over a total of $61,000.
All this because she believed she had won $150,000 in a Hong Kong lottery.
Now, the teacher, who wanted to surprise her family with the windfall only after she got it, is left hiding her losses from her husband.
She said: 'I'm terrified he will find out as it will really upset him and he is already burdened with supporting the family.' The couple have two young children, but she declined to give any other details about her family.
The teacher, who wanted to be known only as Ms Tan, is one of a rising number of Singaporeans who have been duped by lottery scams that originate in China and have also claimed victims in other countries.
Interpol has issued an advisory about such scams, warning people not to send any money or identification.
So far this year, 267 Singaporeans have been conned out of a total of $2.8 million, said the Singapore police. The amounts lost ranged from $6 to over $350,000.
Police spokesman Lim Tung Li said: 'Some scammers are so advanced that they refer victims to phonelines or websites with complex passwords. This fools victims into thinking they are legitimate and trustworthy.'
Despite numerous police warnings in the media lately, Ms Tan said she had not heard of the scams.
When a conwoman first made contact with her in early September, she said she was conducting a survey about mobile phone usage.
Later that month, a different caller informed her she had won $150,000 in a lucky draw organised by an electric company in Hong Kong. To claim the prize, she had to pay $5,500 in taxes.
The trickster spoke in a Chinese accent and broke down Ms Tan's initial wariness with her friendliness. Ms Tan spoke for an hour with her before she agreed to transfer the money.
Over the next four weeks, Ms Tan spoke with several people claiming to be from the same company.
They conjured up different reasons for her to part with more cash: The winning prize was to be paid out by a racing association and to claim the money, Ms Tan had to become a member.
Her initial fears were allayed because the callers were polite, confident and very convincing. 'They had an answer for every question I asked,' she said.
'When I asked why they had Beijing accents even though they were from Hong Kong, they told me Hong Kong had merged with China and many Chinese nationals worked there now.'
And when she asked why she was transferring money to a China bank when the callers were in Hong Kong, she was told the company's accountant was based there.
To continue meeting their demands, MsTan borrowed $16,000 from two friends and took a $21,000 loan from the bank at an interest rate of 17.9 per cent.
The rest of the money was from her personal savings. She reckoned it will take her up to five years to pay back all the loans.
'There are times when I want to cry, but I just put up a brave front for my family,' she said.'
Ms Tan insisted it was her trusting nature, not greed, that made her fall for the scam. 'I'm so trusting that I tend to believe what people tell me. This is my weakest point.'
Days after making a police report on Oct30, she received a phone call from yet another person claiming she had won a lottery.
Her first reaction was to wonder if this one was real too.
But she quickly dismissed the idea. 'I have learnt my lesson,' she said.
shulis@sph.com.sg
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