Hong Kong actress Strawberry Yeung, 61, has revealed that she was targeted by a romance scammer who spent two months gaining her trust before asking her to invest HK$300,000 (RM156,411).
Yeung shared her experience on social media, saying it all began earlier this year when she met a man in his 20s at a gathering after he approached her.
As translated by Singapore entertainment portal 8days, Yeung jokingly told him: "You're in your 20s. You could be my grandson."
They continued chatting, with the young man talking about his business ventures. Yeung admitted she was impressed by what seemed to be his entrepreneurial drive.
"I thought this guy was quite ambitious," said the the former 1990 ATV Miss Asia Pageant second runner-up.
The pair exchanged phone numbers, and he soon began sending her messages every morning, afternoon and night, checking on her while frequently flirting with her.
His messages included: "Have you had breakfast?", "It's raining, wear more clothes and don't catch a cold," and "Big sister, are you asleep yet?"
"Sometimes he even called me 'fairy sister'," Yeung said, referring to a popular Chinese term for women with ethereal and pure beauty.
He also shared photos of himself travelling, playing golf and attending business meetings – a tactic commonly used by scammers to project a wealthy and successful lifestyle.
After two months of daily conversations, he finally revealed his true intention.
Claiming he was facing a temporary cash flow problem, he asked Yeung to invest HK$300,000 (RM156,411) in one of his business projects.
He even promised to return the money the very next day, along with a 5% profit, claiming the investment would quickly double in value.
However, Yeung immediately recognised the warning signs of a "pig butchering" scam – a long-term online fraud in which victims are lured into fake friendships or romantic relationships before being persuaded to invest in fraudulent schemes.
Instead of falling for the scam, she confronted him.
"Do you think your 61-year-old sister is stupid? Have I lived all these years for nothing? Do you think I'm a pig waiting to be slaughtered?" she recalled telling him.
"Afterwards, he stopped contacting me entirely."
Yeung urged people, especially older single women, to be cautious of such scams, saying fraudsters often target those they believe may be lonely and looking for companionship or romance.
