THUNDER BAY – World News – A 71-year-old man in Singapore lost his entire retirement savings, S$21,688 (about US$16,000), to a lottery scam he found on Facebook.
The man is now unemployed and says he can only afford instant noodles and bread. The case shows how scammers target older people with fake lottery promises, and why that matters for anyone with an aging parent online.
We have all seen these kinds of scams, either online on social media, or in our email boxes.
Quick Take
- A 71-year-old Singapore man, identified as Yang, lost S$21,688 to a Facebook lottery scam.
- Scammers claimed to have insider access to Singapore Pools lottery numbers.
- Yang paid fees in stages, from S$500 sign-up costs to thousands in fake “handling fees.”
- He filed a police report on September 16, but still sent more money afterward.
- He is now jobless and says he survives on instant noodles and bread.
How The Scam Started
Yang saw a lottery ad on Facebook in late August. He tried calling the number in the ad but no one picked up.
In early September, someone called him back. This person claimed to know people inside Singapore Pools, the company that runs Singapore’s official lottery.
The caller said these contacts could hand over winning lottery numbers before each draw — for a price.
That promise is the hook. No one can know lottery numbers before a draw happens. But Yang believed it.
The Payments Start Small
The scammers first asked for big money. They wanted S$1,988 for “first-prize” numbers, S$1,688 for second-prize numbers, and S$1,388 for third-prize numbers.
Yang said he could not pay that much. So the scammers offered a cheaper deal instead.
Here is how the costs piled up over time:
| Date | Payment | Reason Given |
|---|---|---|
| Early Sept | S$500 | “Account registration” |
| Early Sept | S$500 | Five sets of 4D lottery numbers |
| Sept 6 | S$1,488 | To “collect” fake S$300,000 win |
| Sept 9 | S$5,850 | “Handling fees” to avoid money-laundering flags |
| Sept 11 | S$7,840 | More unexplained fees |
| After police report | S$3,500 | Still hoping for the payout |
On September 5, Yang got numbers and was told he could win S$300,000. None of the numbers matched. The scammers said the good numbers were “sold out” and promised to have an insider change his ticket instead.
The Fake Win
The next day, Yang got a message saying he had won first prize. It came with a photo of a cheque for S$300,000.
That photo was fake, but it worked. Yang believed he had actually won, and that belief is what kept him paying.
To “release” that fake prize money, scammers kept inventing new fees — first S$1,488, then nearly S$6,000, then almost S$8,000 more.
This is a common scam trick. Once someone thinks they already won, they keep paying “one more fee” to finally get the money. The money never comes.
Red Flags Arrive Too Late
Yang filed a police report on September 16 after the promised winnings never showed up. But even after reporting it, he sent another S$3,500, still hoping the payout was real.
He only fully accepted he had been scammed after more payment demands kept coming, and after he read news reports about similar scams targeting other people.
On top of losing his savings, his cleaning job contract had already ended. That left him with no income and no savings at the same time.
Police in Singapore are still investigating the case.
Why It Matters
This case is a warning sign for anyone with older family members who use Facebook. Scammers specifically target retirees with promises of “guaranteed” lottery wins, knowing many are on fixed incomes and eager for extra cash. If a lottery contact asks for payment before you get any winnings, it is not real — real lotteries never charge fees to release a prize.
