Can you predict how this love story will end?

[Spoiler alert: Ad Nut beseeches you to watch the video before reading further.]

Here's a hard-to-resist story about two people finding each other through an online dating app and falling in love over text.

If you got suspicious partway through because Brandon seemed too good to be true and had a habit of canceling plans at the last minute, congratulations, you probably saw the twist ending coming too. If you found yourself swept up anticipating a romantic meeting IRL, then the film, which is based on real scam-victim experiences, has done its job.

The work is from Ogilvy Singapore and Singapore's National Crime Prevention Council, who point out that even though most people know such scams exist, they don't believe they will fall victim. But fraudsters can be extremely convincing—not to mention patient.

You now understand why Ad Nut withheld the client name above, as it gives the game away. In fact, Ad Nut can't actually really say how well the conceit works, because the film arrived in Ad Nut's oak tree with a press release that explained everything. So, did you fall for it? 

'The everyday love story of Brandon and Ella' will appear on TV, social media, and online channels, and it starts off a wider 'Spot the signs, stop the crimes' campaign that aims to make people more aware of the various kinds of scams prevalent in Singapore. 

CREDITS

Project title: Spot the Signs
Client name: National Crime Prevention Council
Creative Agency: Ogilvy Singapore
Chief Creative Officer: Nicholas Courant
Creative Director: Elrid Carvalho, Paul Kemp, Shawnn Lai
Strategy Director: Ishita Roy
Managing Partner: Mitchell Tan
Account Management: Eunice Lum, Chua Kai Yao
Agency Producers: Chua Ann May
Film Production House: Atypical films
Film Post Production House: Hogarth Singapore
Director: Caleb Huang
Music: Song Zu Singapore 

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.