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The Police have arrested a 29-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams involving the sale of Pokemon trading cards. 

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had advertised the pre-order sales of limited edition Pokemon trading cards on Carousell. After the victims made payment via bank transfers, they did not receive the said trading cards. When questioned, the man would then claim that the delivery of the trading cards was delayed and eventually became unresponsive. 

Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the man and arrested him on 1 December 2025. The man was believed to be involved in at least 111 of such cases, with total losses amounting to at least $80,000.

The man will be charged in court on 3 December 2025 with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine. 

The Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill was passed on 4 November 2025. Upon commencement of the legislative amendments, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates will face mandatory caning of at least 6 strokes, which can go up to 24 strokes. Scam mules who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds, providing SIM cards and providing Singpass credentials will face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes. These include certain money-laundering offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992; Singpass offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1993; and certain SIM-card offences under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act 1906.

The Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when making online purchases.

1. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources, especially for high-value items.
2. Opt for buyer protection by using in-built payment options that release payment to the seller only upon delivery. Whenever possible, avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the seller as this method does not offer any protection.
3. Scammers may entice buyers to contact them directly through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or WeChat by offering a better or faster deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them. They may also use a local bank account or provide a copy of a NRIC/driver’s license to make you believe that they are genuine sellers.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. Anyone with information on scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.