Singapore woman loses $1.2 million to scam

A woman in Singapore lost her life savings of $1.2 million in a scam involving fake officers from the Anti-Scam Centre. The scam began in December 2024 when the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, received a call from someone claiming to be "Jenny" from the Anti-Scam Centre. "Jenny" warned her that her identity card was being misused. During the call, the woman was connected to another person posing as "Inspector Yang." This scammer sent her a one-time view image of a police pass, which vanished after she opened it. Despite feeling suspicious, she was intimidated and was convinced by the caller. "Inspector Yang" claimed that her ID was linked to a money laundering case and demanded her bank statements. He later connected her to another supposed officer, "Inspector Chong," who instructed her to withdraw money from her account. The woman was told to use the money to help catch other suspects involved in the case. Over time, she transferred around $680,000 to different accounts, believing she was cooperating with the police. She was suffering from illness and dealing with personal loss, which affected her judgment. The scammers eventually went silent, and she realized she had been duped in late January 2025. After recovering from her illness, she reported the fraud to the police on February 6, 2025. The woman has since tried to move on, viewing her loss as a form of charity. She hopes to forget the incident while focusing on her work.