The Police have arrested a 29-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a series of online hotel booking scams.
Between July and September 2018, the Police received at least 11 reports of online purchase scams involving staycation hotel tickets. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had created multiple accounts and used them to upload listings on Carousell. The man became uncontactable after victims made transfers to him.
Officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division conducted investigations and established the identity of the suspect. He was arrested on 11 September 2018. Two mobile phones and one laptop were seized as case exhibits.
The suspect will be charged in court on 13 September 2018 with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and shall also be liable to a fine.
While online shopping is convenient, the Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when shopping online:
- Be wary of people selling items for prices that sound too good to be true. Check the seller’s track record by reading reviews of their services or contact past customers.
- Buy goods only from authorised dealers. If advanced payments are required, use shopping platforms that provide arrangements to only release your payment to the seller upon your receipt of the item;
- Bear in mind that the party that you are dealing with online is a stranger. Whenever possible, pay only on delivery.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
12 September 2018 @ 11:25 PM