The Police have arrested two Singaporean youths, aged 15 and 18, for their suspected involvement in a sexual service scam case.
On 11 April 2020, the Police received a report from the victim who was purportedly duped into making a payment of $200 after responding to an online advertisement posted on Locanto for sexual services. After the payment was made, the scammer became uncontactable.
Through investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identities of the two youths and arrested them on 17 June 2020.
Police investigations are ongoing. The offence of cheating is punishable under Section 420 of the Penal Code and carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.
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.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
19 June 2020 @ 9:36 PM