Man in his 50s falls for “Hangzhou Beauty” in online romance, loses entire $120,000 from sale of his HDB flat
sureboh.sg
A 59-year-old Singaporean uncle thought he had found true love with a woman he met online. Instead, he ended up losing all $120,000 from the sale of his flat.
Mr Chen (not his real name) met a woman named “Huang Ping” on Facebook in mid-2023. She claimed to be in her 30s, divorced with a daughter, and living in Hangzhou, China.
According to
Zaobao, they had never met in real life, but quickly got into a romantic relationship. She called him “hubby”, and he called her “wifey.”
They chatted daily and had long phone calls. Mr Chen said she made him feel cared for and loved, and he never once suspected anything.
But a few months into the online relationship, the woman started telling him she was struggling financially and asked him for help.
“At first, she asked for a few thousand dollars to cover her living expenses. Since I thought we were a couple, I didn’t mind helping her,” Mr Chen said.
Before long, he had spent all his savings, about $30,000 to $40,000, on her. But things didn’t stop there.
The woman then suggested he sell his HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio and move to China to be with her.
Mr Chen, hoping for a peaceful retirement and longing to settle down, agreed. He sold his three-room flat under the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme and received about $123,000 in compensation.
In the span of one year, he transferred all the money to her bank account. Some transfers were as high as $40,000 each time.
Unfortunately, the dream of living happily ever after never came true.
It eventually dawned on Mr Chen that he had been scammed in a love trap. The woman he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with had disappeared, along with all his money.
