Youths sentenced in chatroom scam preying on men

Singapore (dpa) – Members of a chatroom created a scam using a fictitious 15-year-old girl called “Sharon” who lured men into meetings in which they were robbed and beaten up.

Two of the youths, who were sent for reformative training, got five other boys to go along with their ploy, according to The Straits Times.

Their unknowing victim was Wee Pei Wuu, 24, who chatted on the Internet for nearly two hours, coaxing “Sharon” to meet him at a deck of a block of flats.

Their date on June 13 last year turned into an extortion scam by the gang of teenagers, who beat him up.

The two, who cannot be named because they are minors, got a friend to play the part of Sharon. The girl arrived 30 minutes late, the court heard. She and Wee chatted for five minutes before the youths confronted him.

Wee initially turned over 50 Singapore dollars (USD 30). He got up and tried to walk away, but was kicked and punched. He then turned over another 100 Singapore dollars.

The teens spent the money on taxi fares, cigarettes and snacks before they were arrested last July. The others will be dealt with at a later date.