The Police have arrested a 27-year-old man for his suspected involvement in several cases of cheating involving the sale of discounted shopping vouchers.
On 24 April 2017 at about 5.50pm, the Police received a report from a victim that she was purportedly cheated after placing orders for $380/- worth of shopping vouchers at discounted price of $300/- on Carousell. The victim met up with the suspect who handed over a sealed envelope while she handed over the cash. Upon receiving the payment, the suspect immediately left before the victim could verify the contents inside the envelope. The victim later realised that the envelope contained only $30/- worth of shopping vouchers and other unrelated documents.
Officers from Central Police Division conducted extensive follow-up investigations and they managed to establish the identity of the suspect and arrested him on 26 April 2017.
The suspect is believed to be involved in several similar cases of cheating and investigations against him are ongoing. Anyone found guilty of Cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code may be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Members of the public are advised to adopt the following measures to avoid falling victim to online purchase scams:
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Make your online purchases only from reputable vendors;
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If advanced payments are necessary, only transact with people you know and trust;
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Check that the person or company you are buying from is physically located where they claim to be;
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Check the company or seller’s track record. Make enquiries with the clients and customers about the service they received from the seller;
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Never give your bank account numbers, credit card numbers and personal information to anyone you do not know or have not checked out;
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Whenever possible, check the goods before making payments;
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Do not provide any information that is not necessary to make the purchase; and
Be mindful that scammers may use a local bank account for the transaction to enhance their credibility. The owner of the bank account may not be the person communicating with you online.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
29 April 2017 @ 5:30 PM