SINGAPORE — What was presented as a chance to explore a lucrative business opportunity in China allegedly became something far more troubling for one Singaporean, who says participants were subjected to relentless presentations and recruitment pitches during a five-day trip to Nanning.
His experience has resurfaced as Singapore authorities confirmed that 52 Singaporean citizens have been arrested and detained in Guangxi, China, over suspected pyramid-scheme activities and related offences.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said Chinese authorities are continuing their investigations. The Singapore Embassy in Beijing and Consulate-General in Guangzhou have visited all 52 detainees and provided consular assistance, while Singapore Police Force officers have contacted their Chinese counterparts for more information.
The latest case is believed by CNA to involve a long-running operation linked to what has been described as the “1040 Sunshine Project”, although the exact circumstances and roles of those detained remain subject to investigation.
A ‘business opportunity’ with few details
Marketing professional Adrian Tan, 47, told AsiaOne that his experience dates back to 2018, when an ex-colleague invited him on a partly sponsored trip to Guangxi.
Tan said he paid roughly S$500 for return airfare, while accommodation and meals were covered.
He travelled to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, for five days.
Instead of spending most of the trip exploring potential business ventures with Chinese companies, however, Tan recalled being taken from one meeting to another, where Singaporeans already involved in the programme delivered presentations about the supposed opportunity.
The pitch was linked to Nanning’s economic development and presented as an opportunity for overseas Chinese to participate in the city’s growth.
But Tan said something quickly appeared wrong.
There was no clear product.
“I’ve done business before; I know there should be at least some product. If there’s no product, the product is you,” he told AsiaOne.
The recruitment model raised the biggest red flag
According to Tan’s account, participants were told they could enter different membership tiers by paying substantial sums of money.
He recalled figures of approximately S$30,000 or S$50,000, with the membership structure allowing participants to recruit additional people, or “downlines”.
The alleged model meant that commissions would be generated when new members paid to join.
Tan claimed that participants were shown calculations suggesting that someone who paid S$50,000 and successfully filled their recruitment slots could potentially earn more than S$1 million.
CNA separately interviewed more than a dozen Singaporeans who said they had been approached about the Nanning-linked opportunity. Their accounts described a remarkably similar recruitment process involving invitations, presentations, organised trips to Nanning and eventual pitches to put significant amounts of money into the programme.
Some interviewees told CNA they were encouraged to recruit friends and relatives, while others said they were given advice on ways to raise the money required to participate.
One woman interviewed by CNA said she was trying to recover more than S$75,000 after transferring money into the programme.
‘They will just brainwash us’
Tan said he initially remained uncertain about what he was being shown.
But the constant meetings and presentations gradually made him question whether he was being manipulated into joining.
“It’s so easy to lose track of time over there,” he recalled.
“We just keep meeting different people, and they will just brainwash us.”
Tan eventually researched the programme and found reports and material in Mandarin describing similar pyramid-scheme activity in Nanning.
That discovery changed his view of the supposed business opportunity.
He ultimately did not make the major financial commitment demanded by the programme.
After returning to Singapore, Tan made a police report about his experience.
The recruitment reportedly continues
CNA’s investigation suggests that the recruitment process did not disappear after Tan’s 2018 experience.
Several Singaporeans told the broadcaster that they had been approached more recently through friends, acquaintances, networking events and social gatherings.
The initial conversations were often deliberately broad, interviewees said, with discussions about China’s economic growth, Nanning’s future and investment opportunities.
Some were subsequently invited to smaller meetings where the details of the programme were explained.
CNA also reported that it went undercover at one such meeting in Singapore, where discussions about Guangxi and Nanning were used to introduce prospective participants to the supposed opportunity.
The broadcaster reported that some participants were eventually encouraged to travel to Nanning, where sightseeing, meals and accommodation were combined with presentations and meetings involving existing members.
For some, the trip reportedly became the point at which the financial commitment was finally presented.
‘It’s not an investment’
Several people interviewed by CNA said the programme did not resemble a conventional investment.
One participant described the moment when the money flow was explained as the point when everything became clear: money from newly recruited participants was being channelled through the network.
Another interviewee said the absence of a conventional product was a major warning sign.
That distinction matters because recruitment-based compensation, substantial upfront payments and promises of unusually high returns are among the specific warning signs Singapore authorities have highlighted.
CNA also reported that some participants were allegedly encouraged to use personal assets, insurance policies or borrowed money to raise the funds needed to join.
One interviewee said she eventually transferred S$45,000 after selling insurance policies and raising funds.
She later managed to recover only part of the money.
52 Singaporeans now detained
The issue has taken on a much larger dimension following China’s law-enforcement operation in Guangxi.
On September 4, Singapore’s MFA and Police confirmed that 52 Singaporean citizens had been arrested and detained following an operation targeting suspected pyramid-scheme activities and related offences.
CNA reported that three sources said some of those arrested had been detained since at least mid-July.
The number makes the case particularly significant: CNA described it as believed to be the largest number of Singaporeans arrested and detained overseas at any one time.
Singapore has stressed that its citizens are entitled to due process but also made clear that it will not interfere in China’s judicial process.
Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann said Singapore would continue providing consular assistance while engaging Chinese authorities for more information about the cases.
Singapore issues warning over ‘too-good-to-be-true’ schemes
The Singapore Government is now urging citizens to exercise caution when considering business or investment opportunities, whether at home or abroad.
Authorities specifically warned about schemes involving:
- Large upfront payments
- Recruitment of new participants
- Promises of unusually high returns
- Pressure to bring friends or family into the programme
Singaporeans travelling or living overseas are also reminded that they remain subject to the laws of the countries where they are located.
CNA’s legal explainer further noted that pyramid schemes are distinct from legitimate multi-level marketing arrangements, with the legality depending on the structure and how the scheme operates.
The Chinese authorities’ investigation remains ongoing, and being arrested or detained does not itself establish criminal guilt.
But for people like Tan, the warning signs were already visible years ago.
A supposedly attractive overseas business opportunity.
A heavily managed trip.
Repeated meetings.
Pressure to recruit others.
And eventually, a demand for substantial money.
What initially looked like an opportunity to make money, he concluded, was something he wanted no part of.
His experience now carries an even sharper warning as authorities investigate the 52 Singaporeans detained in Guangxi.
For anyone offered an invitation to an exclusive overseas “business opportunity”, the question may not be how much money they can make — but where the money is actually coming from.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D
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