Elderly loses RMB44,000 in suspected online dating scam

A male elderly resident has reportedly lost RMB 44,000 after falling victim to a suspected online dating scam. The Judiciary Police (PJ) said the victim met a woman claiming to be from mainland China on a messaging app. The pair later moved to another platform for video chats, where the suspect allegedly encouraged him to purchase virtual items to upgrade his account level, with the promise that they could meet once the highest level was reached. Between January and April, the man made multiple payments totaling RMB44,000 for in-app items. After reaching the top level, he was told by “customer service” to pay an additional RMB30,000 to arrange the meeting.