Philanthropist Toh Soon Huat exposes scam that uses his name to dupe elderly man of $10,000

Local philanthropist Toh Soon Huat has lodged a police report after a 70-year-old man was nearly conned into handing over $10,000 in cash to invest in gold.

Mr Tan (not his real name) told Shin Min Daily News that he saw a Facebook advertisement a few days ago using Mr Toh's name and photo to promote investment and financial management courses.

Mr Toh is the executive chairman of Sian Chay Medical Institution, a social service agency providing free Traditional Chinese Medicine consultation and subsidised medication.

Out of curiosity, Mr Tan decided to contact the account claiming to be Mr Toh.

Mr Tan said he had known about Mr Toh and his good deeds through the media, so he did not suspect anything at the time.

Mr Tan was later added to a WhatsApp group chat and was told to register for the course through WeChat. After completing the course, he could then hand over the money to start investing.

"They took my NRIC number and other personal information, claiming they had opened an account for me and that I could start investing if I deposited money."

Mr Tan was asked to transfer the funds into the newly opened account through electronic transfer, but he was unfamiliar with online banking.

So he was told to withdraw cash from the ATM to hand it over in person, but the other party kept delaying the meet-up.

"I later went to the bank to withdraw $10,000 and asked them when they would collect the money to help me invest," said Mr Tan.

"But he said: 'The first step is always difficult,' and told me to wait."

Worried about having a large sum of cash in hand, Mr Tan went to Sian Chay Charity Centre on April 21 to pass Mr Toh the money in person.

"I had some doubts, and when I met Mr Toh, I was more certain that the investment group was a scam."

Mr Toh told the Chinese daily that many Facebook profiles were impersonating him and posting ads for financial courses.

"There were more than 30 people in (the group chat), and the content was all about investing in gold."

Mr Toh emphasised that he did not help anyone with investments and hoped everyone would remain vigilant against scams.

He added that he took Mr Tan to the police station to lodge a report.

"We don't know how many people have transferred money, and even if they have been deceived, they may not be willing to tell us."

Scammers have been using social media to search for new targets before leading them to chat platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Just last week, a 71-year-old retiree lost more than $30,000 after expressing interest in attending a seniors dance party he saw in a Facebook ad.