The Police would like to alert members of the public of e-commerce scams involving the sale of electronic gadgets, where the seller purportedly provided a fake police report and claimed to offer services verified by the Government.
In these cases, the seller would direct victims to transact off the Carousell platform and communicate over Telegram. While communicating with the victims, the seller would purportedly provide the fake police report to support his/her claims that the shop had been verified by the Government. The victims were subsequently instructed to transfer the payment to a bank account number provided by the seller before the delivery of goods. The victims only discovered that they had been scammed when they allegedly did not receive their goods and the seller became unresponsive.
The Police would like to emphasise that Government agencies do not endorse commercial entities and such police reports are forged. Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Government agencies would not endorse a commercial entity. When in doubt, verify the authenticity of the police report by contacting the relevant police station;
- 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;
- Avoid transacting with sellers off the main verified e-commerce platform;
- 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; and
- Verify seller’s profile on online marketplaces through customer reviews and ratings.
If you have information related to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. Please dial ‘999’ if you require urgent Police assistance.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Join the ‘Spot the Signs. Stop the Crimes’ 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.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
19 March 2021 @ 12:00 PM