A 57-year-old Malaysian retiree, known only as Tan, has come forward to share how he lost his entire life savings—RM161,000—after falling for an elaborate online scam involving a fake sperm donor scheme.

Speaking during a press conference at Wisma MCA on 6 June, Tan revealed he now has nothing left, not even enough for a bus ticket home.

It all started in early February when Tan stumbled upon a Facebook ad offering HKD2 million (about RM1.08 million) for someone to help a woman in Hong Kong conceive a child. Curious, he clicked on it. Not long after, he was contacted by someone claiming to be the woman’s lawyer.

“He told me I’d been chosen to be with a woman named Lee Na to help her have a baby,” Tan recalled. “I was shocked and asked why me? He said it was because I had a handsome face.”

Tan was then told to make a series of payments for things like registration fees and travel costs. He paid RM10,000, then RM30,000, and later RM1,000, all in the hopes of securing an initial RM390,000 payout.

Even when his bank called to warn him about a possible scam, Tan still held on to hope.

But things didn’t stop there.

The ‘lawyer’ came back asking for another RM120,000 to cover medical specialist fees. Despite growing doubts, Tan made three more payments. Eventually, he requested to meet the woman or at least have a video call, both of which were denied. The excuses kept coming, along with reassurances that he’d soon receive the promised RM1 million.

It was only then that reality hit, he had been scammed. Tan has since lodged a police report and reached out to the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department for help.

Its head, Datuk Seri Michael Chong, said Tan admitted his mistake but wanted to go public to warn others.

“He may have been misled, but he’s brave for speaking up,” said Chong. “We hope his story stops others from falling for similar traps.”

Let this be a reminder: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Always double-check, and don’t let flattery cloud your judgment.