S'porean woman invited to 'do business' in China, flies there & invests S$75,000 before suspecting pyramid scheme

A Singaporean woman, referred to as A, has lost more than S$75,000 in an alleged pyramid scheme in Nanning, the capital of China's Guangxi region. In 2026, she was introduced to a business opportunity linked to Nanning's development. Despite personal challenges at her job, A traveled to Nanning a few weeks later to investigate further.

After signing an expression of interest agreement, she purchased shares in the business and was informed that she could earn commissions by recruiting others into the program. A and someone she recruited transferred S$75,000 to a Singapore bank account of a friend who had invited her to the Nanning trip. However, A soon became suspicious as she did not receive receipts or a copy of the agreement she had signed previously.

Additionally, she had not received the promised commissions for recruitment. To this day, she has not received any explanation from the friend who introduced her to the program. Similar experiences have been shared by multiple Singaporeans with Singapore media outlets, all of which occurred after the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced that 52 Singaporeans had been arrested and detained in Guangxi due to a law enforcement operation against suspected pyramid scheme activities and related offenses.

Although the MFA and the Singapore police have not named the specific scheme, Guangxi is known for the infamous 1040 Sunshine Project. It is illegal to organize or lead pyramid scheme activities in China. Investigations by Chinese authorities are still ongoing, and the Singapore police have contacted their Chinese counterparts for further information.