Woman duped of RM750k in S’pore PR scam
Two elderly victims in Malaysia were defrauded of significant life savings through sophisticated scams involving fake government services and impersonation. One victim lost RM750,000 in a fake Singapore permanent residency scheme, while another lost RM850,000 to a phone scammer posing as a police officer.
Why it matters
The rise in high-value financial scams targeting vulnerable senior citizens highlights a growing public safety crisis and the need for better digital and financial literacy.
JOHOR BARU: What began as a one-off S$300 (RM955) professional fee for an elderly woman seeking Singapore permanent resident status ended with her losing more than RM750,000 in life savings to scammers.
The woman, in her 60s, only realised she had been duped after months of transferring money to the scammers, who continued demanding payment to process her Singapore PR application.
A police official said the woman’s ordeal began after she came across an advertisement on applying for Singapore PR towards the end of last year.
“Once the woman contacted the number, the person assured her that the process was easy and that she only needed to deposit S$300 as a professional fee.
“The woman, convinced that it was genuine, paid the money and since then, the scammers have been contacting her and giving all sorts of excuses to siphon money from her,” the official said.
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