I received a Facebook Messenger message from a user with a specified name, informing me that I had won third place in a recent lucky draw, which took place two days ago.

The individual in charge then explained the procedure for claiming the prizes from the lucky draw. Essentially, whatever you win is provided as cash, which will be transferred to your bank account after currency exchange.

The prizes were as follows:

1st Prize: iPhone 15 Pro Max (Exchange rate: USD 2,388)
2nd Prize: 1688 Angbao (Exchange rate: USD 1,688)
3rd Prize: iPhone 15 (Exchange rate: USD XXX)
4th Prize: Dior Lipsticks (Exchange rate: USD 100)

To become eligible for the prize money, I had to choose and purchase two items from the pictures they had posted. I was initially amazed by the incredible deals they were offering and decided to select items totaling SGD 78 and SGD 81. Once I made these purchases, I became eligible for the lucky draws.

I was fortunate to win both an iPhone 15 Pro Max and 1688 Angbao. However, after the draw, they calculated my total winnings (USD 2,388 + USD 1,688 = USD 4,076) and mentioned that I needed to pay a 9% tax on this amount. I agreed to make the tax payment and initiated the transfer.

After around 30 minutes, I was informed that the transfer had failed, and they claimed to have "returned" SGD 500 to my account. They assured me that the remaining funds would be deposited within 24 hours. They also suggested that I find someone to help top up the money. It was at this point that I realized I had fallen victim to a scam.

Additionally, they requested my home address to ensure that the purchased items would be delivered to my residential address.

Unfortunately, I couldn't file an online police report in Singapore as I didn't have access to SingPass.