Gone in 5 minutes: Woman loses $150,000 of life savings to 'China Interpol' scammers

Accused of being part of a money laundering operation, one woman handed her life savings to scammers who offered to 'safekeep' her money. 

The 77-year-old lost $150,000 to scammers masquerading as China Interpol, reported Shin Min Daily News last Sunday (June 19).

She told reporters it all started when she received a call in April from someone claiming to be from the Central Provident Fund (CPF).

The call was later transferred to a "Captain Chen" from China Interpol, who told the retiree that she was involved in a money laundering operation along with 30 others. Hence, the authorities wanted to freeze her bank accounts. 

"They asked me many questions, including my full name in English, NRIC number, address, and how much money I had in my bank accounts," she told the Chinese daily. 

"Captain Chen" also offered to help "safekeep" her money, and promised to return it after three months. 

"He kept emphasising that I couldn't inform anyone in my family, otherwise they'd be implicated," she said. 

Believing his words, the elderly woman visited three bank branches on June 7 and 8 to withdraw $50,000 each from her three accounts. 

Warned by bank staff and younger sister

At one of the banks, a staff member asked the elderly woman why she was withdrawing so much money, and warned her to be beware of scammers. 

Following the scammers' instructions, the woman told the bank staff she was taking the money out to pay for renovation work. 

Coincidentally, she also received a call from her younger sister while she was on her way to the bank. 

"She heard I was going to the bank and asked me what happened. At that point I was worried about implicating her if I said anything, so I told her 'It's none of your business' and ended the call." 

Once she withdrew the money from her accounts, the scammers sent her an envelope containing a police stamp and a "Singapore-China joint statement". 

On the morning of June 10, the scammers asked the woman to place the $150,000 in the envelope and leave it in between her front door and gate.

"I placed the money outside and continued speaking to them on the phone. Less than five minutes into the call, I opened the door and noticed the envelope had been taken away." 

She only realised something was amiss when the scammers stopped calling her after a few days. The woman sought help at the senior activity centre she frequented and they brought her to file a police report. 

The police have since visited her neighbours to ask if they've spotted anything suspicious. 

What to do if you receive such calls

In June, the police issued an advisory to warn the public of scams involving the impersonation of China officials.

Overseas law enforcement agencies have no jurisdiction to conduct operations in Singapore, arrest anyone, or ask members of the public to help with any form of investigations. 

Some precautions members of the public can take when receiving unsolicited calls include: 

• Being wary of calls with the '+' prefix 
• Never sharing personal information 
• Verifying the authenticity of information with official sources 

This year alone, at least 231 victims have fallen prey to these scams, with losses amounting to at least $25 million. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com