Between 1 January and 31 March 2020, the Police received 237 reports of credit-for-sex scams, with a total of more than S$613,000 cheated. The number of cases reported increased by 40.2% and the total amount cheated increased by more than S$211,000, when compared with the same period in 2019.
Between 18 and 29 April 2020, the Police received separate reports from at least 20 male victims, aged between 18 and 52, that they had fallen victim to credit-for-sex scams. In total, the victims were cheated of more than S$50,000.
In most cases, the victims had befriended the scammers or searched for sexual services through online applications such as WeChat, Tinder and Michat, or websites such as Locanto and Skokka. There were also instances where scammers would proactively approach the victims through these online applications or websites to offer sexual services. The victims were then instructed to either make advance payments via AliPay credits at AXS machines or purchase iTunes or Google Play gift cards and send over the redemption codes, in exchange for the sexual services. The scammers became uncontactable after the advance payments were made.
As the victims had left their residences for a non-essential activity (i.e. to procure sexual services by purchasing gift cards or using AXS machines) during the ongoing Circuit Breaker period, the Police have issued each of them with a notice of composition of S$300 for flouting safe distancing regulations under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.
Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
· Be wary of friend requests or online listings offering escort, massage or sexual services as they may be fraudulent in nature.
· Scammers may employ scare tactics to threaten victims into making more payments. Remain calm and do not accede to their requests.
· Do not give out personal details such as your credit card information.
The Police would also like to remind members of the public to stay home and avoid going out during the circuit breaker period, and to take the circuit breaker measures seriously.
If you wish to provide any information relating to such cases, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
You may also call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg to seek scam-related advice. Join the ‘Let’s fight scams’ campaign at www.scamalert.sg/fight by signing up as an advocate to receive up-to-date messages and share them with your family and friends. Together, we can help stop scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next scam victim.
Figure 1: Illustration of how a conversation with a potential credit-for-sex scammer would look like
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
30 April 2020 @ 11:00 PM