You have seen the posters at bus stops and MRT platforms, warning against scams of all kinds. You don’t think it could ever be you. Scammers usually target those not as tech-savvy or well-read, but in this day and age, with the news all around you and a smartphone in your back pocket for well over a decade, you’re surely not the target demographic.
Enter the love scam. While you may think that the people most likely to fall for scams might be an unwitting elderly aunty or uncle, a report from the police has found that 53% of scam victims are aged between 20 and 39. Not such a ridiculous notion, after all, falling for a scam.
With more and more people being more comfortable with the idea of online dating, with 43 per cent of people in 2016, increasing to 58 per cent in 2020, not opposed to the idea of meeting a partner on Tinder or Bumble, it’s only safe to keep a watchful eye while navigating dating apps.
In 2022, a survey from the Ministry of Manpower stated that the average working hours for the Singaporean salaryman was 44.3 hours a week, averaging at 8.92 hours a day, per 5-day work week. With the bulk of the week spent chained to a desk, it comes as no surprise that more and more Singaporeans are resulting to online dating to find a partner. No need to linger around at a bar after work, or strike up a conversation with a stranger at the gym or coffee shop.
Just recently, a tourist touring Singapore fell victim to a love scam just a day before having to return to her home country. Under the advice of the scammer, the tourist, whose last name is Jiang, downloaded a cryptocurrency app for investments and exchanges.
In an attempt to lure Jiang into a false sense of security, the scammer even loaned her US$35,000 to invest in the app, promising a large amount of rewards. Over the duration of their exchanges, Jiang “invested” a total of US$90,000 in the app. The initial US$35,000 loaned to Jiang by the scammer was transferred back at the scammer’s request, as he claimed to be in need of money while admitted to a hospital in Singapore for COVID-19. At the point of publishing, the case against the scammer remains open, with Jiang not receiving any of her money back thus far.
Perhaps we fall victim to love scams because we choose to believe the best in people, or maybe we are too caught up in our greed to give the people we meet online the benefit of the doubt. Whatever the case, this writer thinks perhaps it’s better to just meet people the old-fashioned way and maybe to check facts as well you check vibes.
