S'pore Singer Was Offered To Play Abu Dhabi Gig; Suspects It Was A Scam After Google Search Reveals Fake Photo

Imagine being offered a singing gig at a palace in Abu Dhabi, only to discover that the person arranging it might not even be who she claims to be.

That's the frightening experience Singaporean singer-songwriter Ruth Kueo recently shared. And by the time the 36-year-old realised something was amiss, she had already sent over her passport details.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Ruth was contacted on WhatsApp on Oct 13 by a woman claiming to represent an events company in the Middle East.

The offer was for Ruth to perform a private event at a palace in Abu Dhabi on Oct 21, supposedly attended by senior officials from Singapore and the Middle East.

She was asked to fly over on Oct 17, rehearse and pre-record songs on Oct 18 and 19, then lip-sync during the actual performance.

Ruth initially didn't suspect anything was wrong, and even searched the woman's name and phone number online and found what appeared to be a legitimate personal website.

The two continued discussing the arrangements through WhatsApp messages, voice notes and a phone call.

And according to Ruth, the woman sounded convincing.

"She spoke very logically and clearly. She even told me that, as a woman, she could personally guarantee that the arrangements were safe. She repeatedly emphasised that a local woman would be assigned to accompany me. She also said that once I signed the NDA, I would understand why security for the event was so strict," Ruth told Zaobao.

However, when Ruth asked whether she could bring a member of her team along, the woman said the organisers wouldn't cover the person's airfare or accommodation.

She also cited security restrictions at the supposed event, seemingly discouraging Ruth from bringing anyone with her.

"I've performed at government-organised events before, and they did require me to provide identification details. Besides, she needed my passport information to book my flight," she explained.

So Ruth sent over her passport details.

But later that night, just before going to bed, she began having second thoughts as she felt something about the arrangement didn't sit right with her.

So she decided to do another Google search. But this time, instead of searching the woman's name or phone number, she searched using her WhatsApp profile picture.

And what she discovered was rather alarming. The photo appeared to belong to a Lebanese television presenter, not the woman who had been contacting her.

In other words, the supposed organiser might have been using someone else's photograph all along.

"That was when I suddenly realised this might be a scam. I didn't want to waste any more time dealing with her, so I immediately blocked her," Ruth recalled.

"Since I had already sent her my passport details, I quickly went to the Singapore Police Force and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) websites to file reports, just in case. Thankfully, I realised something was wrong in time and managed to stop whatever might have happened next," she added.

After blocking the woman, she continued researching similar scams targeting entertainers.

According to Ruth, some alleged scams involved fake overseas payments, while others involved the possibility of human trafficking.

"There are two kinds of scams. The first involves money. They'll tell you they've already transferred a deposit to you, but because it's coming from an overseas account, the payment has been held up. Then they'll ask you to pay a clearance fee first," she explained.

"The second involves human trafficking. They'll actually book your flight for you, but once you arrive, they'll confiscate your passport," she added.

While these were scenarios Ruth came across during her research, there is no confirmation that the person who contacted her intended to carry out either scheme.

But the possibility made Ruth reconsider the repeated assurances that travelling alone would be safe.

"She kept trying to convince me to accept the performance. There was a sense of urgency in the way she spoke and the things she said. And there were so many details that made everything seem believable," she recalled.

Looking back, Ruth also realised that the short notice should have raised questions.

"I should have found it suspicious right from the beginning. How could an event involving senior government officials be arranged at such short notice? I've attended events involving government officials before, and usually the relevant government department would contact me directly, rather than an outsourced events company," she said.

The incident also reminded Ruth of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was lured to Thailand through a fraudulent acting opportunity in 2025 before being taken to a scam compound in Myanmar.

After this experience, she's determined to be more careful about accepting overseas performance offers.

"I had already done an online search to verify the person's identity, but it still wasn't enough to protect me from a possible scam. From now on, whenever I receive this kind of performance invitation, I'll definitely verify the other party's identity multiple times," she said.