Man, 29, arrested in S'pore after buyers lose over S$80,000 in Pokémon trading cards Carousell scam

A 29-year-old man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams involving the sale of Pokémon trading cards, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a news release on Dec. 2.

More than S$80,000 lost

According to preliminary investigations, the man had advertised pre-order sales of limited-edition Pokémon trading cards on e-commerce platform Carousell.

Victims who were keen to secure the cards transferred payment to him via bank transfer, but allegedly did not receive the items they had paid for.

When queried by buyers, he allegedly claimed that delivery of the cards had been delayed, before eventually becoming unresponsive.

He is believed to be involved in at least 111 such cases, with total losses amounting to over S$80,000.

Arrest

Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the man’s identity and arrested him on Dec. 1.

He will be charged in court on Dec. 3 with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871, an offence that carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

Harsher penalties for scammers

SPF also noted that the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, which was passed on Nov. 4, 2025, will introduce mandatory caning for scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates once the changes take effect.

They will face at least six strokes and up to 24 strokes of caning depending on the severity of the offence.

Scam mules who facilitate scams, such as by laundering proceeds, providing SIM cards or lending their Singpass credentials, will face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes for certain offences.

Avoiding online scams

SPF urged the public to stay vigilant when making online purchases, especially for high-demand or limited-edition items.

Members of the public should:

• Be cautious if a price seems too good to be true
• Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources
• Use payment options with buyer protection that release funds only upon delivery
• Avoid direct bank transfers or off-platform communication (e.g. WhatsApp, WeChat) as scammers may use these to appear legitimate

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

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

Top images via Unsplash, Carousell