Cover image via @1jlbboq (Reddit)
A Malaysian man has taken to Reddit to warn others about a growing online dating scam after allegedly being conned out of RM1,610.80 by a woman he met on Tantan, a Chinese dating app
He recounted how he matched with a woman named "Yiyi", who claimed to be from China.
After a brief conversation, she suggested moving their chat to WeChat, according to his post in the Malaysian subreddit r/Malaysia.
"She then sent me a location to meet her at a restaurant in Damansara Perdana," he wrote.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, he immediately sensed something was off — Yiyi looked nothing like the person in her profile pictures. However, he decided to go ahead with the date.
She ordered pizza and handed him the food menu while browsing the drinks. When he attempted to order a drink, he noticed that the waiter ignored him and went straight to the cashier instead.
"Weird, but okay," he thought to himself.
A few moments later, Yiyi casually mentioned that she had ordered wine and that they needed to pay for it upfront. Shortly after, the cashier approached their table with a bill of RM1,610.80.
When he protested, explaining that he was a student and couldn't afford it, Yiyi claimed she couldn't use Malaysian payment methods and insisted that he transfer the amount to a Boost account under an unfamiliar name.
Things took an even more suspicious turn when the cashier returned with a second bottle of wine, claiming that Yiyi had ordered another round. At that point, the Redditor decided to leave the restaurant.
Image via @1jlbboq (Reddit)
His post quickly gained traction, with other users sharing similar experiences and warning of an increasing trend of such scams
One commenter pointed out that this type of scam has been happening frequently, while another user revealed that they had heard about it as early as 2018.
A user noted that these scams often prey on young men who are new to online dating, while another bluntly stated that when a bill like that arrives, one should simply walk out.
The man admitted that he had considered leaving but hesitated, concerned about hurting the woman's feelings. He acknowledged that trusting his instincts would have saved him from the situation.
Following the incident, he lodged a police report.
