A 66-year-old Singaporean man has reportedly fallen victim to a chain impersonation scam after his WhatsApp account was allegedly hacked, leading to further breaches involving his contacts and financial losses.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the man, identified as Lu Changming, said scammers gained access to his account and subsequently used it to target people within his contact list.
He first became suspicious in mid-April when he received a message appearing to be from a long-time friend requesting to borrow S$1,000. Finding the request unusual, he contacted the friend and later discovered that the friend’s WhatsApp account had already been compromised.
About a week later, Lu received another message from the same contact at around 6am, asking for a one-time password (OTP). Believing it was needed to recover the account, he shared the OTP, only to later realise that his own account had been taken over by scammers.
He reported the incident to the police, but said he was unable to regain access to his WhatsApp account and eventually had to change his phone number. He added that scammers continued using his identity to contact others even after the breach.
The scam then spread further, with around 30 to 40 of his contacts being targeted. Four WhatsApp accounts were reportedly compromised, including that of his sister. In some cases, victims were tricked into transferring S$1,000 each after being contacted by impersonators.
Lu said scammers initially targeted contacts who frequently exchanged “good morning” messages with him, as they were more likely to respond and transfer money without suspicion.
He also claimed that some people blamed him and his sister for the losses, with a few even demanding repayment, believing they were responsible for the scam messages.
The incident has also affected his work as a cleaner, as he normally sends photos of completed tasks to his supervisor via WhatsApp. He now requires assistance from a foreman to document his work due to the compromised account.
Authorities continue to remind the public not to share OTPs with anyone and to verify unusual money requests, even if they appear to come from known contacts.
