SINGAPORE, Dec. 27 -- A Singaporean man transferred S$3,999 (RM12,558.57) to a woman he met on TikTok after she claimed she was being held hostage and on the brink of being sold into prostitution.

The 49-year-old air conditioning technician, identified only by his surname Lin, only realised later that it was all a scam, Singapore news outlet Shin Min Daily News reported.

Lin told Shin Min that the woman messaged him on December 16, claiming she had lost S$20,000 (RM62,820.30) in an investment scam three months after arriving in Singapore.

She claimed to have been held hostage as she could not repay the money.

Lin admitted he was suspicious at first but was convinced when the woman called him and cried, saying she would be forced into ...