Following the recent launch of a campaign to encourage locals to rediscover Singapore, the Police would like to remind the public to be wary when making online purchases, including those involving hotel room reservations and attraction tickets.
In cases involving hotel room reservations, victims would come across advertisements on online shopping platforms. Scammers would then request for deposit or full payments to be made via bank transfer or PayNow/PayLah to secure the reservations. Upon transfer, the scammers will provide them with the booking confirmation and the victim will only realise that they have been scammed when they attempt to check-in. In cases involving attraction tickets, the victims would either not receive the tickets or receive invalid tickets after payments were made.
Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 licence to make you believe that they are genuine sellers. Do not fall for it!
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. If you require urgent police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
To seek scam-related advice, you may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg. 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
31 July 2020 @ 5:00 PM