Woman, 72, scammed into thinking she's helping Andy Lau and his daughter
Since January this year, Ms Helen had been communicating with a man who introduced himself as the famous Hong Kong actor, Andy Lau, on social media.
The interaction led to multiple requests for money, under the guise of urgent health needs.
Over several months, the scammer convinced Ms Helen to transfer money, including transactions of HK$10,280 (S$1,779) and HK$10,080.
Despite having no particular admiration for the Heavenly King, Ms Helen, who has never attended his concert, was duped after the scammer sent her what appeared to be a photo of his passport.
The situation escalated when a girl, claiming to be "Andy Lau's daughter Hanna", joined the conversation. Hanna, allegedly 13 years old and studying in the United States, addressed Ms Helen as "Godmother", eventually even calling her "Mom".
These affectionate terms made the elderly woman feel a sense of connection and trust towards the supposed family.
As the scam unfolded, Hanna fabricated various reasons for needing funds, such as hospital deposits, purchasing toys, and buying school supplies at the request of her "foreign teacher".
Ms Helen continued to send money to Hanna, unaware that this was part of the scam.
The total sum she sent exceeded HK$10,000. Ms Helen even pawned her mother's belongings, leaving her with only a few dollars in savings.
Yet, she refused to believe that the other party was a scammer. She firmly expressed, "If you dare to deceive me, I will dare to give you the money."
Her compassionate nature, and her former experience as a school teacher, led her to feel a deep affection for the girl, whom she believed was in real need.
On May 1, Hanna, who had promised to meet Ms Helen, did not turn up as scheduled.
She claimed that her visa had expired as she was entering Singapore, resulting in a fine of HK$2,000 (S$346) and a detention.
Feeling helpless, Ms Helen eventually blocked the scammers.
She reflected, "The HK$40,000 has become tuition fees for a hard lesson."
Following the incident, Ms Helen filed a police report, but the scammers quickly deactivated their WhatsApp account and vanished.
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