A woman and two teenagers, aged 16 to 21, were arrested for a series of e-commerce scams that involved the sale of counterfeit luxury bags on Carousell.
Claimed to be selling authentic luxury bags at a discount
According to a statement released by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Saturday, Aug. 15, they received multiple reports between January and June 2020 from victims who were purportedly cheated by online sellers who claimed to be selling authentic luxury bags at discounted prices on the e-commerce platform.
Some of the victims later discovered that the bags were counterfeit, while a few of them did not receive the bags after making payment as the suspects became uncontactable, the police said.
Officers from Bedok Police Division then investigated the cases, and established the identities of the three suspects, arresting them on Aug. 11 and 12.
Preliminary investigations revealed that they are believed to be involved in at least seven cases of such scams amounting to S$9,800.
Investigations are ongoing.
The offence of cheating, punishable under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.
Be cautious when shopping online
The police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when shopping online:
- Bear in mind that the party you are dealing with online is a stranger. Before performing a transaction on an online shopping site, find out how the site safeguards your interest or can help you resolve disputes;
- Insist on cash on delivery especially if responding to online classified advertisements;
- If advance payments are required, use shopping platforms that provide arrangements to only release your payment to the seller upon your receipt of the item;
- Be mindful that although sellers may provide a copy of an identification card or driver’s licence to gain your trust, it may not necessarily belong to the person communicating with you online; and
- Note that scammers may use a local bank account to enhance credibility, but the owner of the account may not be the person communicating with you online.
For more info on scams
To find out more about scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg 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 at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
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Top image via SPF
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