Following a two-day operation conducted from 23 to 24 July 2018 by officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division, 8 men and 6 women, aged between 18 and 43, are currently assisting in investigations for their suspected involvement in various scams and commercial crime-related offences. The suspects are believed to be involved in 42 cases, involving more than S$338,000. These cases include e-commerce and loan scams, of which a number of them were reported in Punggol and Sengkang.
The suspects are being investigated for the offence of cheating, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to 10 years, and a fine.
Assistant Commissioner Zhang Weihan, Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division said: “I would like to commend the officers for their good investigative work which resulted in the identification of the suspects. Members of public are advised to be wary of online advertisements where deals might appear to be too good to be true. Personal information also should not be offered to strangers. The Police will not hesitate to come down hard on those involved in scams.”
Members of public are advised to adopt the following measures to avoid falling victim to online purchase scams:
a) Make your online purchases only from reputable vendors;
b) If advanced payments are necessary, only transact with people you know and trust.
c) Check that the person or company you are buying from is physically located where they claim to be.
d) Check the company or seller’s track record. Make enquiries with the clients and customers about the service they received from the seller.
e) Never give your bank account numbers, credit card numbers and personal information to anyone you do not know or have not checked out.
f) Do not provide any information that is not necessary to make the purchase.
g) Do be mindful that scammers may use a local bank account for the transaction to enhance their credibility. The owner of the bank account may not be the person communicating with you online.
To seek scam-related advice, you may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
26 July 2018 @ 12:35 AM