Veteran Singapore actor Laurence Pang reflected on his recent love scam in the Philippines on an episode of Mediacorp entertainment programme #JustSwipeLah. Pang teared up while discussing the incident on the show with host Das DD.
Pang, who's known for acting in TV shows Tanglin and Sunny Side Up, had lost S$35,000 after being deceived by Mika, a woman he was talking to on a dating site in late 2024, who led him to invest in a fake online business.
It was later revealed that the scammers doctored former Star Search 2019 finalist Vanessa Ho’s pictures to cheat Pang.
When asked on the show how he was after the news of his love scam broke out, the 78-year-old said: “I feel embarrassed.”
“Initially when I discovered that I was scammed, it was bad enough. Learning that my story had gone viral, it felt like a second blow. So before I could even get over it, it was really devastating,” he added.
Pang said that initially he was reluctant to do the interview with #JustSwipeLah, but a few of his friends encouraged him to do so, so that his story could serve as a warning to other people about these scams.
“These scammers deliberately target people of our age group. A lot of us are lonely. In a way, they feel that we are easy targets,” he said.
Pang added: “Actually initially when I discovered I was scammed, I didn’t want to tell anybody. I didn’t want to share this with anybody because of the fear of embarrassment. The fear of being scolded and all that was there.”
Local actor Laurence Pang, 78, recalled his experience of a love scam during an episode of the public service programme Raffy Tulfo In Action on Jan 17. (Photo: Raffy Tulfo In Action/Youtube)
However, Pang said he remembered there was a famous TV personality, Filipino senator and broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, who hosts a TV show called Raffy Tulfo In Action. In the show, Tulfo acts on complaints from ordinary citizens who have experienced injustices and tries to bring about a solution. The show is widely popular in the Philippines.
Pang went on an episode of Raffy Tulfo In Action on Jan 17 to talk about his experience of the love scam with Tulfo. The host also called Public Information Officer of Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNPACG), Wallen Mae Arancillo, during the episode to assist with Pang’s case.
Pang told Das DD that by going on Tulfo's show, he hoped that his scammers would be caught. “Whether I recover my money is secondary; what I’m hoping is for justice to be served,” he said.
As Pang was speaking, he started to tear up.
“But then, the other thing is, I felt that I let everybody down, especially my family and friends,” Pang said, wiping away his tears with tissue paper.
“People used to look up to me. I don’t know how to face them."
He said that when he was in the Philippines and the news of his scam broke, he did not know until he started receiving text messages from family and friends asking if the news was real. He also did not know that the news of his scam was reported on Singapore news sites.
“But when it became national news, I decided that when I come back to Singapore, the first thing is for me to speak to my family. I owe them this much,” he said.
He said that he really appreciated the support he got from his family, especially his son, whom he said was neither angry nor upset with him and told him to move on and to not let such scams happen again.
“But for now, it’s not over yet,” Pang explained, as he still blames himself for falling prey to the scam.
He said: “I’m still trying to come to terms with myself: 'Why did I get myself involved? Why was I that stupid? So gullible'.”
“I thought I wouldn’t be caught in such a scam. I never thought that it would happen to me. I’ve heard of a lot of other people being scammed, but they just kept it to themselves because of fear of embarrassment,” he added.
Host Das DD comforted Pang and said: “It’s not that you were stupid, this was a very strategic syndicate designed to prey on people your age group.”
Pang explained that he hopes to create awareness of such scams through the interview.
The veteran actor also expressed his gratitude to his family, friends and supporters for helping him through the ordeal.
“This past week has been incredibly overwhelming for me. But the support from friends, showing me their genuine love and care, makes a very big difference in recovering,” he said.
When asked if there was anyone who has not been supportive and what he would like to say to them, he said: “I have also seen a lot of these keyboard warriors, making fun of me, saying a lot of unkind things about me. You have not been in this position. You are not in the position to make remarks about me like that. Shame on you.”
Pang also shared his advice in hopes of preventing other victims of such scams.
“Children listen, your elderly parents need your support, alright? You share the world with them. Never, ever neglect them. Always find out what they are doing, okay? So they do not make any mistakes like me,” he said.
He also cautioned seniors who are socialising to avoid loneliness. “Just be careful. If the topic of money comes up, that is a red flag. Do not go any further.”
He shared his plans to move forward from the incident: “Right now I’m focusing on healing myself emotionally, financially and staying away from making friends online.”
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Pang, who's known for acting in TV shows Tanglin and Sunny Side Up, had lost S$35,000 after being deceived by Mika, a woman he was talking to on a dating site in late 2024, who led him to invest in a fake online business.
It was later revealed that the scammers doctored former Star Search 2019 finalist Vanessa Ho’s pictures to cheat Pang.
When asked on the show how he was after the news of his love scam broke out, the 78-year-old said: “I feel embarrassed.”
“Initially when I discovered that I was scammed, it was bad enough. Learning that my story had gone viral, it felt like a second blow. So before I could even get over it, it was really devastating,” he added.
Pang said that initially he was reluctant to do the interview with #JustSwipeLah, but a few of his friends encouraged him to do so, so that his story could serve as a warning to other people about these scams.
“These scammers deliberately target people of our age group. A lot of us are lonely. In a way, they feel that we are easy targets,” he said.
Pang added: “Actually initially when I discovered I was scammed, I didn’t want to tell anybody. I didn’t want to share this with anybody because of the fear of embarrassment. The fear of being scolded and all that was there.”
Local actor Laurence Pang, 78, recalled his experience of a love scam during an episode of the public service programme Raffy Tulfo In Action on Jan 17. (Photo: Raffy Tulfo In Action/Youtube)
However, Pang said he remembered there was a famous TV personality, Filipino senator and broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, who hosts a TV show called Raffy Tulfo In Action. In the show, Tulfo acts on complaints from ordinary citizens who have experienced injustices and tries to bring about a solution. The show is widely popular in the Philippines.
Pang went on an episode of Raffy Tulfo In Action on Jan 17 to talk about his experience of the love scam with Tulfo. The host also called Public Information Officer of Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNPACG), Wallen Mae Arancillo, during the episode to assist with Pang’s case.
Pang told Das DD that by going on Tulfo's show, he hoped that his scammers would be caught. “Whether I recover my money is secondary; what I’m hoping is for justice to be served,” he said.
As Pang was speaking, he started to tear up.
“But then, the other thing is, I felt that I let everybody down, especially my family and friends,” Pang said, wiping away his tears with tissue paper.
“People used to look up to me. I don’t know how to face them."
He said that when he was in the Philippines and the news of his scam broke, he did not know until he started receiving text messages from family and friends asking if the news was real. He also did not know that the news of his scam was reported on Singapore news sites.
“But when it became national news, I decided that when I come back to Singapore, the first thing is for me to speak to my family. I owe them this much,” he said.
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He said that he really appreciated the support he got from his family, especially his son, whom he said was neither angry nor upset with him and told him to move on and to not let such scams happen again.
“But for now, it’s not over yet,” Pang explained, as he still blames himself for falling prey to the scam.
He said: “I’m still trying to come to terms with myself: 'Why did I get myself involved? Why was I that stupid? So gullible'.”
“I thought I wouldn’t be caught in such a scam. I never thought that it would happen to me. I’ve heard of a lot of other people being scammed, but they just kept it to themselves because of fear of embarrassment,” he added.
Host Das DD comforted Pang and said: “It’s not that you were stupid, this was a very strategic syndicate designed to prey on people your age group.”
Pang explained that he hopes to create awareness of such scams through the interview.
The veteran actor also expressed his gratitude to his family, friends and supporters for helping him through the ordeal.
“This past week has been incredibly overwhelming for me. But the support from friends, showing me their genuine love and care, makes a very big difference in recovering,” he said.
When asked if there was anyone who has not been supportive and what he would like to say to them, he said: “I have also seen a lot of these keyboard warriors, making fun of me, saying a lot of unkind things about me. You have not been in this position. You are not in the position to make remarks about me like that. Shame on you.”
Pang also shared his advice in hopes of preventing other victims of such scams.
“Children listen, your elderly parents need your support, alright? You share the world with them. Never, ever neglect them. Always find out what they are doing, okay? So they do not make any mistakes like me,” he said.
He also cautioned seniors who are socialising to avoid loneliness. “Just be careful. If the topic of money comes up, that is a red flag. Do not go any further.”
He shared his plans to move forward from the incident: “Right now I’m focusing on healing myself emotionally, financially and staying away from making friends online.”
Continue reading...