More than 40 reports lodged over Paypal scam, say police

If you're an online seller, you should be careful about a fake Paypal scam that has duped more than 40 individuals who had posted items for sale or units for rent online. 

According to the Singapore Police Force, more than 40 reports have been made over Paypal scams since the beginning of the year.

In a statement on Tuesday (June 13), police said the scammers would contact victims and pose as interested buyers.

They would send fictitious emails in the name of PayPal or reputable banks to trick victims into believing they had made payments.

Victims were then told to show proof of shipment of the items before they would receive payment.

In some cases, victims were duped further into making payment for the 'activation of Paypal accounts' in order to receive payment.

But the payments never came through for the vicims.

Police say members of the public should adopt the following preventive measures when making transactions online:

a. Always log on to your Paypal account to verify that payment has indeed been made before sending the item. Do not trust the email, even if the address from which it originated appears to be legitimate.

b. Never download attachments or software programs attached in such emails. Clicking on these could harm your computer and leave it susceptible to being hacked.

c. Do not give out your personal information, credit/debit card details, bank account details, or email account details.

d. Bear in mind that if Paypal really needs your information, it would send you a request to login safely to your account before you provide that information.

To provide any information to the police, call the police hotline at 1800-255- 0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. For urgent Police assistance, dial '999'.

To seek scam-related advice, the public can call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722- 6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg.

candicec@sph.com.sg