SINGAPORE – He branded himself as a former private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver-turned-savvy businessman, with investments in 500-plus vending machines and commercial properties.
Lim Jian Bin, who is also known by his online moniker Takeshi Lim, met potential investors decked in branded clothes with a luxury watch on his wrist, and driving a Lamborghini, and later an Audi R8.
Over a three-year period from 2023, over 40 investors pumped up to $4 million into Nozomii Vending – a business registered in 2022 – with promised returns of 5 per cent to 10 per cent per annum.
Financial adviser Kevin Lin put in $484,300 from 2023, including $291,322 which he had secured through bank loans. The returns were initially prompt.
Lin said they then…