Empty promises: Scammers would shower much attention on the victims before gradually tricking them into parting with their savings.
KUALA LUMPUR: It’s a million dollar question that even Datuk Seri Michael Chong, despite his four decades of community work, has no answer to.
Why are people falling for love scams when there have been countless awareness campaigns and media publicity about the fraud?
“So many press conferences have been held on the subject. The police have often talked about it. What else can we do?” asked Chong, who is the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head.
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He said he has been getting complaints about love scams every month.
“These cases will continue to rise. It won’t stop,” he said.
Chong said he found it baffling that victims would be so trusting of someone whom they had never met.
“I failed to understand why so many women fell into such a love trap. How could you give away your savings, or even take loans from ah long (loan sharks) for the person, without meeting him?” he said.
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Chong said he would often ask the victim: Didn’t you read the news?
These people, he said, were aware of such scams but they did not think it would happen to them.
According to Chong, about 90% of the victims who seek help were women who wanted their money back, which is impossible.
“We couldn’t help them get their money back since they ‘volunteered’ to give it out. You are in a relationship, and you claim to have been cheated. It takes two hands to clap,” he said.
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However, Chong said he would help the victims resume their lives again.
According to him, there are two common types of love scams in Malaysia – romance and Casanova.
Romance scammers, he said, would use stolen images to build fake online profiles on a dating site.
They would begin a relationship with their target and gradually trick the victims into parting with their savings.
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“These scammers would shower much attention on the victims, flattering them always,” he said.
Even highly educated people, he said, would fall for these “admirers”.
As for the “Casanova” scammers, Chong said they would lavish the women with fancy gifts before coaxing them for sex and money.
“The relationship will last less than a year. The Casanova will drain you of your money and move on to the next target.”
Most of the victims of the Casanova are young and financially well-off, or women in their 40s and 50s who are divorced or widowed, he said.
Chong believed that many of the victims were lonely and seeking love.
His advice? Do not be easily sweet-talked. Say no when the pursuer asks for money.
“After dealing with so many cases, I’ve come to realise that those who want to pick up the pieces of their life should turn to their faith. So for those with religious beliefs, they can pray. Their families can get together for this as well.”
Federal Territories DAP public complaints bureau chairman Yew Jia Haur found that the victims’ ages ranged between 30 and 80.
“Once, I got a complaint about a 76-year-old woman duped of her life savings after being caught in a love trap.”
Despite the constant public education on the matter, Yew said that many people chose to follow their heart, thinking that they had been fortunate enough to meet their true love.
He advised women who meet a supposed Mr Right on social media to talk to their close friends and seek their views on the situation.
