In today’s day and age, online scams are becoming a lot more prevalent. While the elderly are often the main targets of such digital scams, the youth can also be susceptible to such danger.
On 28 Apr, a 14-year-old girl was contacted by scammers via Telegram, acting as an agent to offer her a job.
However, the girl was eventually scammed of S$1,122. She was even asked to send nudes to pay off the debt incurred.
Thankfully, she did not comply, and her parents made a police report.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the girl was contacted by an unknown Telegram user called Jolin on 28 Apr. She asked the girl if she would like a job.
Hoping to earn some money to support her family, she agreed and was connected with an agent called Alice.
Alice then sent her a link, which the girl needed to make deposits and complete tasks. After which, she would be able to earn rewards.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
However, she would incur penalties if she did not complete the tasks within the stipulated time. These penalties would apparently double every time she fails.
Agreeing to these requirements, the girl was asked to deposit S$100 and finish a task to earn S$10 in rewards.
After some time, the girl deposited S$1,122 to the scammers. She had to secretly use her mother’s bank card to make these transactions.
However, Shin Min Daily News reported that her penalties kept incurring. They increased from S$2,000 to S$3,000. Eventually, it went up to a staggering S$11,000.
When the girl was at a loss, a man suddenly sent her a message on Telegram. He said he would be willing to help pay off S$3,000 of her debt.
However, the girl would have to send him nude photos of herself in return.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
Thankfully, the girl did not comply. According to Shin Min Daily News, she instead sent him nude photos of other girls from the Internet.
As the girl could not pay back the penalties she incurred and was shaken by the fact that she was asked for nudes, she informed her parents about what happened.
According to Shin Min Daily News, she told her mother the situation on 1 May and cried. While initially angry, her mother felt a greater sense of worry for her daughter. She also immediately cancelled her bank card.
Her mother noted that this was the first time her daughter had used a phone without their permission.
She believes that her daughter must have been in a state of fear, and thus sent the scammers money without thinking through her actions.
The case has been reported to the police.
While anxious, the parents were also grateful that nothing serious had happened to their daughter.
Shin Min Daily News reports that they also hope this will serve as a good lesson for her to be wary of talking to strangers.
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Featured image adapted from Yandex and Sin Chew Daily. Image on left for illustration purposes only.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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