The Police would like to alert the public on scams involving payment for sexual services, with credit-for-sex scams being the predominant variant of such scams. In 2019, the Police received at least 1065 reports of credit-for-sex scams, with total losses amounting to at least $2.8 million. The largest sum cheated in a single case was $80,000.
Victims typically befriended the scammers or searched for sexual services through online applications such as WeChat, Tinder and Michat, or websites such as Locanto and Skokka. In some cases, scammers would proactively approach the victims through these online applications or websites.
The victims were instructed to either make payment via AliPay credits at AXS machines or purchase iTunes or Google Play gift cards, in exchange for the services. Victims did not receive the services and the scammers became uncontactable after the payments were made.
Another variant of such scams involve victims making payments via bank transfer, including via ‘Paynow’ or ‘Paylah’, or through remittance services such as Western Union.
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 your personal details such as your credit card information freely.
If you wish to provide any information relating to such cases, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it 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
20 February 2020 @ 10:46 PM