SINGAPORE – When a scammer learnt that an elderly woman had lost a loved one recently, he used this information to convince her to let him protect her savings.
She trusted him, withdrew $120,000 from her bank account and passed it to the scammer, who went to her house to collect it.
The woman eventually figured out that it was a scam and called the police, but it was too late.
Ms Eva Lim, director of integrated communications and marketing at the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), recounted the woman’s encounter with the scammer during a panel discussion on the human impact of scams on Wednesday.
Ms Lim said: “When (a Silver Generation Office) ambassador spoke to her, she said she found it very difficult to trust people around her.
“And for someone who is already somehow isolated, she will slip into further isolation… So it is not just financial loss. There are also social and mental impacts which are detrimental to the senior.”
The Silver Generation Office is the outreach arm of AIC. Its ambassadors connect with seniors and address their ageing needs.
Ms Lim did not state how old the woman is and declined to give further details of the case.
Also at the panel discussion, which was part of the second edition of anti-scam seminar Scaminar! ACT Against Scams, held at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, was Dr Majeed Khader, chief psychologist at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
He said the impact of scams goes beyond financial losses. When…
