SINGAPORE: Staff of Peter Lim have made police reports over scammers allegedly impersonating the Singaporean businessman and offering investment advice online.
The police on Wednesday (Aug 10) confirmed that reports were lodged.
Mr Lim, 69, has a net worth of about US$2.4 billion according to Forbes. He is the owner of Spanish football club Valencia.
His spokesperson told CNA that the alleged scammers were claiming to be Mr Lim and offering stock trading advice and courses over multiple messaging platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp.
Two police reports were made on Jun 20 and Aug 2, said the spokesperson.
"The posts appeared to have gone viral very fast as Mr Lim's office has been notified by many people who know him," said the spokesperson, who added that the number of people who have received the messages is unknown.
Screenshots of the conversations showed an individual using the name "Peter Lim" and a display photo of the businessman sending messages in Telegram and WhatsApp chat groups.
The messages, in English and Chinese, were sent to chat groups with between 80 and 140 members.
In the screenshots, an individual purporting to be Mr Lim informed a chat group of "must earn shares" available for purchase, and offered portfolio analysis.
Screenshot of a Telegram conversation. (Image: Office of Peter Lim)
One of the screenshots also showed the individual engaging in a conversation with someone purporting to be Joel Greenblatt, an American investor and adjunct professor at Columbia University.
Screenshot of a Telegram conversation. (Image: Office of Peter Lim)
The number of investment scams in Singapore more than doubled to 2,476 cases in 2021 from the previous year, contributing to an overall spike in scams.
Investment scams were the costliest among various types of scams, with victims losing S$190.9 million last year.
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The police on Wednesday (Aug 10) confirmed that reports were lodged.
Mr Lim, 69, has a net worth of about US$2.4 billion according to Forbes. He is the owner of Spanish football club Valencia.
His spokesperson told CNA that the alleged scammers were claiming to be Mr Lim and offering stock trading advice and courses over multiple messaging platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp.
Two police reports were made on Jun 20 and Aug 2, said the spokesperson.
"The posts appeared to have gone viral very fast as Mr Lim's office has been notified by many people who know him," said the spokesperson, who added that the number of people who have received the messages is unknown.
Screenshots of the conversations showed an individual using the name "Peter Lim" and a display photo of the businessman sending messages in Telegram and WhatsApp chat groups.
The messages, in English and Chinese, were sent to chat groups with between 80 and 140 members.
In the screenshots, an individual purporting to be Mr Lim informed a chat group of "must earn shares" available for purchase, and offered portfolio analysis.
Screenshot of a Telegram conversation. (Image: Office of Peter Lim)
One of the screenshots also showed the individual engaging in a conversation with someone purporting to be Joel Greenblatt, an American investor and adjunct professor at Columbia University.
Screenshot of a Telegram conversation. (Image: Office of Peter Lim)
The number of investment scams in Singapore more than doubled to 2,476 cases in 2021 from the previous year, contributing to an overall spike in scams.
Investment scams were the costliest among various types of scams, with victims losing S$190.9 million last year.
Continue reading...