S’porean spends S$30,000 on gifts for the girlfriend of an “internet star” and learns that she has been tricking several men

Singaporean man allegedly loses S$30,000 in scam involving girlfriend of ‘Internet star’

When we’re hopelessly in love, some of us might be willing to do anything, including breaking up large sums of money.

Unfortunately, what one Singapore man believed was a gesture of love for his “internet celebrity” girlfriend turned out to be a betrayal when he learned she might just be using him for his money.

After spending over S$30,000 on his Taiwanese lover, who “threw tantrums” when she felt he wasn’t giving her enough, Mr Chen, 41, was devastated to find out he wasn’t the only man who had done it was there.

Mr. Chen and the other men believed they were victims of fraud and later reported the matter to the police.

The girlfriend of an ‘internet celebrity’ asks lovers to buy gifts in live streams

According to the Shin Min Daily News, Mr. Chen, a salesman in Singapore, began following the female “Internet celebrity” online sometime between 2020 and 2021.

In November 2021, the said celebrity began hosting live streams to interact with her fans.

Mr. Chen thus initiated his first interaction with her and finally received a response two months later, on January 14, 2022, which made him very excited.

The “love story” soon began with the two chatting online on a daily basis. The woman apparently sent him selfies, and their relationship developed quickly.

She later became a host of a live shopping platform and invited Mr. Chen to join the live stream and support her.

“She said the company wanted her to collect 100 gifts ‘full of love’. If she didn’t reach the goal, she wouldn’t be able to host anymore, so she hoped I could gift her S$50,” Mr Chen told Shin Min Daily News.

Singapore man sends more gifts after wife ‘throws tantrums’

Blinded by love, Mr. Chen spent S$2,500 on gifts for her during her live broadcast. He also shared that the live streams would run from Monday to Friday and the number of viewers had grown from 100 to over 2,400 over time.

After chatting constantly, the two confirmed their relationship on March 1.

The woman reportedly even sent a lengthy message professing her love for him.

From that day on, on the 14th of every month, the woman asked Mr. Chen to send her gifts. When what he was sending didn’t match what her fans were buying her on the live streams, she would throw “tantrums.”

Because of this, Mr. Chen reportedly gave her gifts totaling S$30,000.

Notes that other fans have received the same “love messages” from women

Unfortunately, it wasn’t until other fans contacted Mr. Chen that he realized he was being scammed.

He later realized something was wrong when he noticed that the woman’s answers were incoherent.

Comparing the text messages to fans who were in the same situation, including a 32-year-old man, he found the messages sent by the woman were “exactly the same.” They were also sent at the same time.

The victims concerned immediately made a complaint to the police in the hope that the authorities could investigate the case.

Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook

Shin Min Daily News understands the woman was from Malaysia but later flew to Taiwan to further her career.

Disturbingly, Mr. Chen pointed out that there are currently five victims, three of whom are in Singapore and two in Malaysia and Korea.

The police reportedly confirmed to Shin Min Daily News that they had received the victims’ reports and are currently investigating the matter.

Be wary of online love scams

In the case of love fraud, the victims often stand out because they supposedly feel a strong and intimate connection. Because of the value of such a connection, they may feel compelled to help the other party out of love and compassion.

However, as with any online interaction, caution should be exercised when befriending strangers, let alone giving them money.

Hopefully, Mr. Chen’s case can serve as a reminder for everyone to always remain vigilant, especially online, and to be wary of potential scams.

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Post image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.