Rakuten Group, Inc.

78-year-old Singaporean actor loses S$35,000 to romance scam on PinaLove dating site operated by Philippine cybercriminals

A 78-year-old Singaporean actor, Laurence Pang, lost approximately S$35,000 (1.5 million pesos) in a scam after being deceived by a woman he met on the dating website PinaLove in late 2024. The woman, who introduced herself as “Mika,” convinced him to invest in a fake online business resembling a counterfeit version of the Japanese e-commerce platform Rakuten. Pang appeared on a live episode of the Philippine public service programme *Raffy Tulfo In Action* in January 2025 to recount the scam. Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group confirmed that cybercriminals likely operating in the Philippines orchestrated the scam, which targeted lonely but wealthy individuals by posing as romantic partners. Pang has since submitted documents to pursue a cyber warrant to uncover Mika’s identity, with the help of Philippine authorities and Raffy Tulfo’s team.