99-year-old man in Taiwan nearly transfers S$160K to ‘girlfriend’ in suspected love scam

Elderly man attempts to transfer S$160,000 to woman in suspected online romance scam

A 99-year-old man in Nangang, Taipei, Taiwan was successfully stopped from wiring NT$4 million (S$160,000) to a stranger by authorities.

He believed that the money was meant for a joint retirement fund with his online ‘girlfriend’.

Approached by woman with fake profile on social media

Mr Zou (name transliterated from Mandarin) was initially approached on social media by an unknown woman using a fake profile.

After weeks of talking to each other daily, the two entered a virtual relationship.

The scammer eventually convinced Mr Zou that they should secure a home and build a future together.

As such, the elderly man liquidated his stock portfolio into cash.

Wanted to transfer S$160,000 to designated bank account

Earlier this month, Mr Zou intended to wire S$160,000 to a designated bank account.

The bank tellers at the Nangang Yucheng branch of Taiwan Cooperative Bank immediately recognised glaring red flags.

They then halted the transaction and notified the Nangang Police Precinct.

Elderly man believed that transfer would result in marriage

According to responding officers, Mr Zou repeatedly insisted that he was not being scammed.

He openly admitted that he hoped the financial transfer would solidify the woman’s affection, paving the way for them to tie the knot.

Refusing to give up on the elderly man, the police and bank staff took turns counselling him.

They presented various recent romance fraud cases, explaining that his situation was a textbook example of a “catfishing” scam designed solely for financial extortion.

Mr Zou finally came around and decided against transferring the money.

Netizens urged to be vigilant

The Nangang Police Precinct has issued a public warning reminding citizens that scam syndicates rely on stolen, attractive profile pictures to target victims across social media platforms randomly.

By deploying tactics such as daily affectionate greetings and sweet-talking, scammers lure victims into emotional dependence before pivoting to high-yield investment traps or manufacturing emergencies to extort money.

Authorities emphasise that these are all standard variations of the classic romance scam and urge citizens to contact the police if they encounter one.

Also read: Elderly man in S’pore scammed of S$55.5K by ‘woman’ he met on TikTok, still believes she’s real

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Featured image adapted from Liberty Times News.