I saw red flags when online friend encouraged me to invest

Anonymous | 25 Jul 2023

Investment Scam
Met him on Bumble, and it seems he has a verified profile indicated by a blue tick. However, he speaks poor English with a Malaysian Chinese slang. He claims to work as a consultant in Fortinet Cybersecurity Company, receiving quarterly bonuses. He shared details about his close relationship with his boss's family, his ownership of a 2-bedroom condo in Queenstown, and a car. He also mentioned personal investments that he cannot share with others, as his boss brought him into it.

He asked me to take a photo of an HDB (Housing and Development Board) property to show progress while he was overseas for a two-week work assignment. Later, he invited me to join a private investment with Hong Leong Group Limited as a gift, insisting I must accept it and put in a minimum investment of $500 to receive $65 within an hour.

I noticed several red flags initially, such as him showing off his income and probing about my financial situation, asking how much I earn, etc. The link he provided (hlgrouplimited.com/) appeared suspicious, with a distorted MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) logo, and the company name changed to GuocoLand Limited.