One woman and four men have been arrested for their suspected involvement in five separate e-commerce scams involving the sale of face masks on Carousell.

This comes after a 28-year-old man was arrested on Feb. 14 for cheating S$175,000 from a buyer on Carousell.

Five accused Carousell scammers

The police announced in a news release on Tuesday, Feb. 18, that the individuals arrested were all between the ages of 17 and 24.

Since late-January 2020, several police reports have been made from people who claimed to have been cheated by these sellers on Carousell.

The sellers allegedly became "evasive and uncontactable" after the buyers made payments via bank transfer.

After investigating and working closely with Carousell, the police have been able to establish the identities of the five suspects:

• A 24-year-old woman was arrested on Feb. 3. She is believed to be involved in more than 40 cases of e-commerce scams amounting to more than S$2,500. She was charged in court on Feb. 5 with cheating.
• A 26-year-old man was arrested on Feb. 6. He is believed to be involved in more than two cases of e-commerce scams amounting to about S$500. Investigations are ongoing.
• A 25-year-old man was arrested on Feb. 10. He is believed to be involved in more than seven cases of e-commerce scams amounting to about S$1,000. Investigations are ongoing.
• A 22-year-old man was arrested on Feb 18. He is believed to be involved in more than four cases of e-commerce scams amounting to at least S$196. He will be charged in court on Feb. 19 with cheating.
• A 17-year-old man was arrested on Feb. 18. He is believed to be involved in at least five cases of e-commerce scams amounting to more than S$500. He will be charged in court on Feb. 20 with cheating.

Individuals found guilty of cheating could face a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

Police taking opportunistic Covid-19-related crimes seriously

"The police take a serious view of those who take advantage of the current COVID-19 situation to perpetrate crimes. All offenders will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law", stated the police in the news release.

Members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg for more information about scams or call the anti-scam hotline at 1800-722-6688.

Anyone with information on such scams may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online here.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

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Top image via Dimitri Karastelev on Unsplash and Carousell.