The Police have arrested a 27-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams involving the sale of “Pokemon” cards.
Between 29 June 2023 and 3 July 2023, the Police received two reports from victims who were purportedly cheated by an online seller, who allegedly advertised a pre-order sale of “Pokemon” cards on Carousell. After receiving a sum of about $37,600 via money transfer, the man did not fulfil the delivery of the “Pokemon” cards.
Through follow-up investigations, officers from Woodlands Police Division established the identity of the 27-year-old man and arrested him on 4 July 2023. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to be involved in at least 10 other similar cases involving losses of about $80,000. Watches, shoes and clothes worth about $20,000 bought by the man using the defrauded monies from various victims were seized as case exhibits.
The man will be charged in court on 6 July 2023 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 Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when engaging online services:
- If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Only engage service providers from reputable sources.
- Whenever possible, avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the service providers.
- Scammers may entice buyers to make deposits before the services are provided, and 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!
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information related to such scams may call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
Annex
Case Exhibits ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
05 July 2023 @ 11:15 PM