A 71-year-old Singaporean man has lost S$21,688 after falling victim to a Facebook lottery scam that falsely promised him access to winning numbers and a S$300,000 prize. The victim, identified as Yang, reportedly exhausted his savings through repeated payments demanded by fraudsters before realising he had been deceived.
According to a report by Shin Min Daily News, later covered by Mothership, Yang came across a Facebook advertisement in late August offering lottery-related assistance. In early September, a caller claiming to have connections inside Singapore Pools contacted him and offered to provide lottery numbers for a fee.
Unable to afford the advertised prices, Yang reportedly paid S$500 to register an account and another S$500 for five sets of 4D lottery numbers. When the numbers failed to match the results, the callers allegedly claimed that high demand had affected their availability and promised to arrange an insider intervention.
On September 6, Yang received a message claiming he had won the first prize. The callers reportedly sent him a photograph of a cheque worth S$300,000 as supposed proof of his winnings.
However, instead of receiving the prize, Yang faced a series of additional payment demands. He was asked to pay S$1,488, followed by S$5,850 in alleged handling fees on September 9. The fraudsters reportedly claimed the charges were necessary because a large transfer could raise money-laundering concerns.
On September 11, they demanded another S$7,840, further adding to his losses.
Yang reportedly became suspicious after reading newspaper reports about similar lottery scams. By then, he had lost S$21,688. His financial difficulties have worsened since his cleaning job ended, leaving him unemployed and struggling to afford basic food.
Police investigations into the case are ongoing.
