The Police have seen an increase in scam cases involving illegal online betting websites and applications. Between January and June 2020, the Police received at least 50 reports of such scams, with total losses amounting to at least $2.1million.
Scammers would befriend victims through online messaging applications or dating platforms. Between January and June 2020, Facebook, Tinder and TanTan were the three most common platforms that victims had been approached on.
The scammers would claim to have insider information or know of loopholes to reap easy profits on websites or applications offering gambling or betting services. To place their bets, victims would be convinced by the scammers to open a betting account with specific websites or applications, from which they could cash out their winnings. They would then be instructed to deposit money to a bank account specified by the scammers for use as betting credits. However, the victims were subsequently told that their betting accounts had been frozen and that they would need to deposit more money in order to cash out their winnings. The scammers became uncontactable and the websites would be inaccessible after the additional monies were transferred. In some cases, the victims were also instructed to pay administrative fees to utilise the websites or applications.
The most commonly used platforms and application names are as follow:
- Asia Pacific/Ya Tai Guo Ji
- Jin Zun Guo Ji
- RWGenting
- Chang Jiang Guo Ji
- Huang Guang Guo Ji
Members of the public are strongly advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Be wary when befriending strangers on any online platform. They may not be who they claim to be;
- It is an offence to place bets on illegal online betting sites or applications. Do not engage in such services and report them to the authorities; and
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Victims may be lured with the promise of easy winnings. However, such platforms are often programmed and rigged by the scammers to artificially give that illusion.
If you wish to provide any information related to such scams, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. For urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
You may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg for 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 victim of scam.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
23 October 2020 @ 8:00 AM