At least 54 Pokémon card collectors in S'pore scammed out of S$111,000 since May 2025

About 54 people in Singapore have lost at least S$111,000 collectively to Pokemon trading card scams since the start of May 2025.

According to a news release by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on May 20, the scam was primarily traced to listings on online marketplace Carousell.

Modus operandi

In the advisory, SPF said that the scammers had lured buyers with appealing deals before shifting conversations to private messaging apps such as WhatsApp.

Once the victims confirmed their interest, they were instructed to make payments via PayNow or bank transfers.

After the payments were made, victims either never received the products or found that the sellers had become uncontactable.

In screenshots provided by the police, victims had transferred varying amounts for the card sets, including a deposit of S$350 in one case and a S$3,300 listing in another.

Avoiding such scams

The public has been advised to exercise caution when purchasing the popular collectibles online.

Buyers should conduct transactions only on verified platforms, warning that large discounts and pressure for fast deals are common red flags for scams.

They should also to avoid transferring money to strangers and to refrain from sharing personal information, including banking details and one-time passwords.

To help combat these scams, the public is also recommended to adopt the ACT Against Scams approach:

• ADD: Install the ScamShield app and enable security features on payment accounts.
• CHECK: Verify suspicious listings or messages through trusted sources or by calling the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
• TELL: Report scams to the authorities and notify family and friends. Suspicious activity can also be reported directly within platforms like Carousell and Facebook.

More information on scams can be found at www.scamshield.gov.sg.

Top photos via Unsplash & Singapore Police Force