Wu Hong, a 41-year-old Chinese woman who scammed people in Singapore out of over $1.57 million (converted to USD), has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Prior to her sentencing, the con artist used to promise victims that their money would be invested into Chinese gamblers who come to play at Singaporean casinos.
Needless to say, the woman promised that the endeavor would be very lucrative, prompting her victims to invest large sums in the scheme. Unbeknownst to the victims, Wu Hong never planned to actually keep her word and used the money to live a life of luxury.
Unfortunately, while Wu was a running a fraud, it was a very convincing one. Not only did she convince people to invest huge sums of money but also got their friends and families on board. People went as far as taking money from their relatives because they genuinely believed that Wu scheme would work.
Wu Convinced People to Invest Millions
The Strait Times reports that Wu ran her scheme between 2016 and 2019, convincing rich locals to hand her millions of dollars. Tam Kwong Yoeng invested around $1.05 million, while Suh Choon Heong gave Wu Hong another $549,000. The con artist also managed to onboard two local celebrities, namely Tan Lee Peng and Lim Mooi Keow who collectively invested $344,000 in Wu’s scheme through Suh.
As one might imagine, the scammed people never saw their money back. According to the prosecution, Wu never invested the money as she failed to provide any information about the Chinese gamblers she claimed to have funded. Her clients were thus never provided with formal records of their transactions.
Tam eventually became suspicious and started recording his phone conversations with Wu who was increasingly evasive. He ended up filing a report in January 2018. Two years later Soh also contacted the police.
The “Heartless Con Artist” to Serve Jail Time
The prosecution described Wu as a “heartless con artist” who scammed people out of millions of Singaporean dollars. It was noted that her victims are still struggling to cope with the losses she caused them with her lies.
Wu tried to plead innocent, claiming that her victims were framing her. Still, she ended up convicted of five charges of cheating and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The manager of Lim, one of Wu’s celebrity victims, told the Strait Times that they are thankful that this issue has now been resolved. The manager added that they’d be happier to move on and do not wish to participate in any interviews.