Man, 29, arrested over a series of Carousell scams

A 29-year-old man has been arrested for suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams.

He is suspected to have cheated victims of various products such as e-scooters, gaming peripherals and drone photography devices on Carousell.

After the victims made payment via bank transfers, they did not receive their purchases, and the sellers became uncontactable.

The police received several reports from the victims between November last year and January this year. Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the man and arrested him on Wednesday after follow-up investigations.

The man is believed to be involved in at least 25 cases of e-commerce scams amounting to a total of $5,000.

He will be charged in court today with cheating, which can carry a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The police issued the following advice:

• Bear in mind that the party you are dealing with online is a stranger. Before performing a transaction, find out how the website safeguards your interest or can help you resolve a dispute.
• Insist on cash on delivery especially if responding to online classified advertisements.
• If an advance payment is required, use a shopping platform that provides an arrangement to release the payment to the seller upon receipt of the item.
• Be mindful that although the seller may provide a copy of an identification card or a driver's licence to gain your trust, it may not necessarily belong to the person communicating with you.
• A scammer may use a local bank account to enhance credibility; but the owner of the account may not be the person communicating with you.

For more information on scams, visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam hotline on 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.