PUBLISHED ONJanuary 18, 2026 1:20 AMBYSean LerThinking of buying K-pop merchandise online to support your favourite artistes such as G-Dragon? Beware of fake sellers who ask you to make an initial deposit, the police have warned.
In an advisory issued on Saturday (Jan 17), the police warned of this scam variant but did not disclose if there were recent cases involving losses.
Victims would encounter pre-order listings of K-pop merchandise related to artistes such as G-Dragon on online platforms such as Carousell.
The scammers would then convince victims to make initial deposits via PayNow or bank transfers to pre-order the items.
Victims would only realise that they had been scammed when they failed to receive the products, or when the sellers became uncontactable.
The police urged the public to be careful when making online purchases and to only purchase K-pop merchandise from authorised sellers on online platforms and physical retail stores.
The public should avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers before receiving or inspecting the products. Instead, buyers can opt for secure payment methods such as cash on delivery.
Buyers are also cautioned to be wary of red flags in listings claiming to offer "large discounts for faster transactions".
To protect themselves against scams, the public can adopt the ACT (Add, Check, Tell) framework, which involves adding the ScamShield app and setting security features.
When in doubt, call the ScamShield helpline at 1799.
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