A total of 29 men and nine women, aged between 17 and 68, are under investigation for their suspected involvement in the recent spate of fake buyer phishing scams on Facebook and Carousell following an anti-scam enforcement operation conducted between 13 February 2024 and 19 February 2024.
Since January 2024, at least 419 victims have fallen prey, with total losses amounting to at least $1.8 million. In these cases, scammers would pose as “buyers”. They would approach victims via in-app messages on Carousell or Facebook, expressing interest in the items that the victims had listed on the platforms. After agreeing to the sale of the items, victims would receive a malicious URL link or QR code via email, in-app messaging, or WhatsApp on the pretext of receiving payment. Upon clicking the links or scanning the QR codes, victims would be redirected to a spoofed website to provide their internet banking login credentials, credit card details and/or One-Time Password (OTP). Victims would realise that they had been scammed when they discovered unauthorised transactions made from their bank accounts/cards.
During the operation, officers from the CAD and the seven Police Land Divisions rounded up the 38 persons for investigation. Preliminary investigations revealed that the subjects had allegedly facilitated the scams through several ways;
Most opened new bank accounts and relinquished them to the scammers or sold their bank accounts for as much as $1,500 per account, or relinquished their Singpass credentials for as much as $1,000 per set of Singpass credentials. The subjects would fail to receive the promised fees from the scammers.
One subject assisted to receive and transfer money on behalf of the scammers.
Some had given away their banking credentials or Singpass credentials in the applications of fake investment schemes, job scams or loan schemes, to purportedly receive earnings from investment, salary or loan.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- ADD – ScamShield App and set security features (e.g., enable two-factor (2FA) or multifactor authentication for banks and set transaction limits on internet banking transactions, including PayNow/PayLah). Never disclose your personal or internet banking details and OTP to anyone.
- CHECK – For scam signs and with official sources (e.g., visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688). Do not click on dubious URL links and always verify the authenticity of URL links. If in doubt, always verify the authenticity of the information with the e-commerce platform directly.
- TELL – Authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately and report any suspicious user and fraudulent transaction from the online marketplace to the e-commerce platform.
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
21 February 2024 @ 5:35 PM