Man, 22, arrested for allegedly cheating victims with fake Halloween Horror Nights tickets

A 22-year-old man will be charged on Oct. 30 for his suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams.

He allegedly cheated people by advertising the sale of Universal Studios Singapore Halloween Horror Nights 12 admission tickets on Carousell, the Singapore Police Force said in a press release on Oct. 29.

Halloween Horror Nights tickets scam

Between Oct. 16 and 27, the police received several reports from victims who were allegedly cheated by an online seller on Carousell.

Upon receiving the payments via PayNow or bank transfer, the man would allegedly send fake admission e-tickets to the victims via email.

The victims discovered that the admission tickets were fake when they were denied entry into the theme park.

The total losses amounted to about S$1,000.

Through follow-up investigations, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him on Oct. 28, 2024.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to be involved in other similar cases, the police said.

Will be charged on Oct. 30

The man will be charged in Court on Oct. 30 with the offence of cheating.

If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

Police advisory

Police advised members of the public to take note of the following precautions when making online purchases:

• 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.
• 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.
• Scammers may entice buyers to contact them directly through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or WeChat by offering a better or faster deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them. They may also use a local bank account or provide a copy of a NRIC/driver’s license to make you believe that they are genuine sellers.

For more information on scams, you can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

Anyone with information on such scams may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

Top photos from Singapore Police Force and Klook