A US woman thought baseball star Trea Turner was asking her for money. Instead, an online scammer stole over RM230,000 from her, police say.

Philadelphia Phillies' Trea Turner runs after hitting a single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

In July, a woman in Towamencin Township was so outraged at an article critical of Phillies shortstop Trea Turner that she took to his defence on Facebook, writing in the comments section how hard she believed he was working for the team.

To her surprise, she then got a message from Turner inviting her to message him one-on-one on Google Chat. She did so, she said in an interview Friday, and was soon inundated with requests from him for money to help him buy property in Michigan because his wife had limited his access to his own bank accounts.