The Police have arrested an 18-year-old male teenager for his suspected involvement in a series of series of sexual service scams.
From 12 to 15 July 2020, the Police received several reports from victims who were purportedly cheated into making payments via bank transfer after responding to online advertisements posted on Locanto offering sexual services. After the payments were made, the scammer became uncontactable.
Through investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of the teenager and arrested him on 18 August 2020.
The teenager will be charged in court on 20 August 2020 with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which is punishable with an imprisonment term of up to 10 years, and a fine.
Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Be wary of friend requests or online listings offering escorts, massage or sexual services as they may be fraudulent in nature.
- Scammers may employ scare tactics to threaten victims into making more payments. Remain calm and do not accede to their requests.
- Do not give out your personal details such as your credit card information to strangers.
If you wish to provide any information relating to such cases, 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’.
You may also call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg to seek scam-related advice. 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 scam and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next scam victim.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
19 August 2020 @ 10:35 PM