'I thought I could outwit them': Woman who lost over $78,000 to job scam

She was confident that even if she talked to a scammer, she would not fall for their tricks.

- Christine Tan

Yet, a woman who wanted to be known only as Ms Lee, 48, lost more than $78,000 to a job scam in four days.

Her ordeal in February caused her to lose almost 90 per cent of her life savings.

Job scams were among the top scams of concern in 2024, with victims reporting more than 9,000 cases and losing $156.2 million, according to annual police statistics.

Scammers typically contact the victim on messaging apps, lure the victim into depositing money for a job offering attractive commission rates, then steal the funds.

Ms Lee, who works in sales, said someone using a foreign number contacted her on WhatsApp in late 2024, offering her an online part-time job.

She agreed, as she felt her work was mundane.

Soon, she was contacted by another man named "Charles Khoo" who claimed to be a Malaysian in Singapore, who was married and had a newborn.

Though she suspected it was a scam, Ms Lee decided to play along as she said her life lacked excitement.

The married woman, who has an 18-year-old daughter, added: "I just wanted to disturb the scammers. I thought I could outwit them."

Ms Lee contacted The Straits Times after reading in March about how the Government was considering caning as punishment for scam-related offences.