Tan Boon Heong
PETALING JAYA: Former doubles ace Tan Boon Heong is sorry for what had happened to mixed doubles shuttler Lai Pei Jing. In fact, he admitted he was once a victim of scammers too in 2017.
Pei Jing, who plays with Tan Kian Meng on the international stage, had fallen victim to scammers and lost most of her life savings.
She posted her misfortunes on her social media platforms but did not give details on how much she had lost but admitted that it did not pay to be kind. She acknowledged that she was foolish to trust a group of scammers.
Boon Heong hoped all athletes will stay alert.
"I'm sorry to hear on what had happened to Pei Jing. I don't know the details. We must not trust people easily," said Boon Heong.
"I hope others do not have to go through what Pei Jing is going through.
"Nothing comes for free, we must be in control of what we own. This is the first time that I hear that an athlete had fallen victim to scammers after my incident in 2017.
In 2017, Boon Heong said he lost millions to an investment scam in two separate cases.
"Seeing my fellow shuttler getting scammed reminds me of when I was scammed too," said Boon Heong.
"Every scam you fall for teaches you something. That's just life — you can't avoid the detours. Everyone has to take at least one.
"Remember, putting your hard-earned money into someone else's hands and expecting to get it back is unlikely. I suggest focusing on what you can control. If you can't control it, don't get involved."
Earlier today, the 31-year-old professional player Pei Jing had asked for space to deal with the issue.
"First of all, to my relatives and friends, whether you are curious or concerned, please give my family some private space to deal with our emotions. Please give us time to process everything, especially my mom. Thank you," said Pei Jing.
"Yes, I was scammed out of almost all my life savings by a fraud group. Honestly, this has been an extremely heavy blow to me.
"My hard-earned savings from decades of hard work. I reflect on it almost every second whenever my mind is idle.
"Naturally, I replay the entire scam and fall into a state of blaming myself for my foolishness and kindness.
"It takes great courage to speak out about being scammed because who wants to tell others I was foolishly deceived, right?
"These past few days, I have been managing my emotions and dealing with the police.
"Once I've adjusted, I'll share more about it. I hope to prevent more victims and also force myself to accept the fact that I was scammed.
"So, this moment, I must grit my teeth and get through this because life still has to go on.
"The world won't stop turning just because of me. It seems like being strong is my only option.
"I need some time to settle and process everything. Afterward, I'll consider how to share the details of the scam with everyone.
"I hope my sharing can help others be more vigilant and prevent more victims from being deceived," added Pei Jing.
It's unsure whether Pei Jing will now compete in the Indonesian Open starting tomorrow with Kian Meng.
