SINGAPORE — A video of a woman who was offered a large sum of money to take part in a sexually suggestive photo shoot with 50 men, warning others about the offer, went viral on TikTok this week, with several users saying they had received similar offers.
On Tuesday (July 2), junior designer Lai Yijin, 21, posted a video on the platform in which she said she had received an email from a man named “Gavin Chew”, who claimed to be a Singapore-based freelance photographer.
The man was seeking models for a paid project, which he described as an indoor “fully clothed” photoshoot with a “unique concept,” in return for which the models would be paid S$8,000 for their participation.
Suspecting it was too good to be true, Lai asked for more details to verify that the man was indeed the photographer.
The man responded that the model would have to wear a crop top and a tennis skirt, and that the shoot would involve 50 other men performing sex acts on her.
The remuneration will then be increased to S$12,000, he said.
Lai said in the video that he did not accept the offer.
“I’m just raising awareness of this, and if you get an email from Gavin Chew or anyone else, if it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably not true,” she said.
“I’ll do anything for money, but not this.”
The video garnered more than 138,000 views and 220 comments in the three days since it was posted.
Suspicious but “not new”
In the comments section of the video, TikTok users expressed shock at the man’s request, with some calling on Lai to report him to the authorities.
Many of those who commented on the video said they had been approached by the photographer via email or direct messages on social media about similar photo shoots.
One user wrote: “Once this photographer asked me to shoot alone in a hotel room, but I said no because it seemed too suspicious.”
Another person said, “I received this too, but the costume and pose requirements were different.”
However, according to several users, offers for such “photo shoots” have been coming for some time.
“I remember this exact same thing happening years ago and I can’t believe it’s happening again,” one comment read.
Another wrote: “This was a scam when I was 18…almost 18 years ago now.”
In 2021, several women in Singapore also shared on social media their experiences of being approached for similar sexualised photo shoots.
In one instance, a woman was offered up to S$22,500 for a three-hour shoot on which she signed a non-disclosure agreement, a legally binding document keeping the information secret.
The woman reported the incident to police, who said they had located the man who sent the messages and issued him a warning.
Under the Cinematograph Act, it is an offence to make or reproduce an obscene film, even if not for the purpose of distribution or exhibition to the public. Anyone convicted can be fined up to S$40,000 or imprisoned for up to two years, or both.
The Unsolicited Publications Act states that it is an offence to take obscene photographs with the intent to provide or distribute them to others. This offence can lead to a fine of up to S$2,000 or imprisonment of up to two years.
When asked by Today, Lai said she made the video to bring public awareness of the situation and that she had blocked the man’s number after rejecting his advances.
While she felt “disgusted” that this had happened to her and other women, she added that “there are a lot of weird people out there so it’s only natural that this happens.”
When asked if she called the police, Lai said she did not do so because she initially felt there was “no point” in doing so if the police could only give the man a warning.
But she believes it may be worthwhile for police to “revisit the case” again to see if the perpetrator is the same person responsible for previous incidents.
“We don’t know if his next victim will actually be duped and who knows what will happen (if they do),” she said.
TODAY contacted the Singapore Police Force to clarify what action will be taken against perpetrators if no obscene films or photographs are taken.
