‘I really trusted him’: Her sister’s quick thinking saved her from a scammer

She was headed out for a carefree afternoon of shopping with her sister.

But when Madam Patricia Yeo, 76, arrived at the bustling shopping mall, she spotted her older sister Margaret Yeo in a quiet corner, speaking in hushed tones on the phone.

Madam Patricia Yeo, leaned in to listen, recognised the danger, and stepped in.

“Don’t talk to him! Don’t get scammed!” she shouted. 

Realising his victim was not alone, the scammer quickly ended the call.

This was in late 2024. Madam Margaret Yeo, a retiree, received a phone call from a “bank officer”, who alleged that one of her bank accounts was linked to money laundering activities.

Asking her to cooperate and resolve the issue, the scammer transferred the call to a “police inspector”. 

Mdm Margaret Yeo, 77, recalls in English: “The way (the police inspector) spoke was slow and full of authority. I really trusted him.” 

To prove his identity, the “police inspector” sent her a photo of his warrant card via WhatsApp. At his request, Mdm Margaret Yeo provided her NRIC number – before her sister intervened.

Only then did she realise she was in danger: Scammers had her sensitive information. She quickly made a police report. 

Madam Margaret Yeo also warned her friends about the scam tactic so they wouldn’t fall into the same trap. Soon, this became a cautionary tale at social services agency Tung Ling Community Services, where the Yeo sisters serve as volunteers. 

Tung Ling Community Services is the community outreach arm of the Church of Singapore, offering services such as elder care, student care and counselling.

Motivated by their experience, Mr Roger Neo, centre manager of Tung Ling Community Services, organised the centre’s first-ever scam prevention talk shortly after – in November last year – conducted by UOB.

Madam Margaret Yeo’s experience “really struck a chord” and reminded us how vulnerable everyone is to scams, says Mr Neo, 65.

Knowledge is power

About 70 seniors attended the scam prevention talk, held on a weekday afternoon in the Church of Singapore in Marine Parade. 

Speaker and UOB representative Nigel Brandon Chua captured the crowd’s attention with a mix of real-life examples, practical advice, and a sprinkling of humour that had the seniors chuckling.

Switching effortlessly between Mandarin, Hokkien, and Cantonese, he shared real stories of victims falling for investment scams, phishing attempts, and fake government or bank officials.

Scammers are constantly evolving their methods, said Mr Chua, who is UOB’s senior vice-president of Risk and Assurance, Group Channels and Digitalisation. His role includes reviewing the bank’s scam cases on a daily basis.

In 2024, Singapore residents lost over $1.1 billion to scams, according to figures from the Singapore Police Force (SPF). 

While seniors aged above 65 represent only 8.4 per cent of scam victims, the average amount lost per victim is the highest among all age groups.

Why is that so? “(Compared with younger individuals), the elderly tend to have accumulated more savings,” says Police Superintendent Rosie Ann McIntyre, assistant director of the Scam Public Education Office Operations Department, SPF.

Awareness is key to helping them protect themselves, she adds.

“(Seniors should) familiarise themselves and stay up to date on the types of scams they are especially vulnerable to, including how (scams) work and common red flags.” 

Mr Chua agrees, explaining that many elderly victims are caught off guard as they are unfamiliar with new scam tactics. So they may find themselves in situations that seem legitimate and fail to recognise the telltale signs of a scam. 

Spreading the word

UOB partnered with SPF on its first scam prevention event two years ago. Since then, the bank has conducted more than 20 workshops for various groups, including students, business professionals, and seniors.

After each session, UOB employee volunteers answer questions from attendees. Common queries from seniors include: How to use banking apps safely and how to activate the “money lock” feature, which can safeguard a portion of their funds in a bank account by temporarily restricting outgoing digital transactions.

Mr Tan Jun Jie, deputy manager of UOB’s Parkway Parade branch, was one of the volunteers at the scam prevention talk last November. 

Having seen countless elderly customers fall for scams in his day-to-day work, the 39-year-old knows just how critical it is to educate seniors about scams.

There were cases, Mr Tan said, where elderly customers insisted on transferring money to scammers even after being warned by his bank staff. “There were two or three episodes where (branch staff) had to escort customers to the police station as they (simply) didn’t believe that it was a scam.”

In 2024 alone, UOB prevented over $6 million in scam-related losses by stopping 230 cases – the majority of which involved the elderly – across their 47 branches.

For Madam Margaret Yeo, the talk last November was an eye-opener. A key takeaway, she shares, was to “never divulge sensitive information to any strangers”. 

She was also excited to learn about the “money lock” feature. “It’s very important, very useful – I had never heard about this before (the talk).”

This is the second of a six-part series in partnership with