A 28-year-old man and a 43-year-old man were arrested by the police for cheating, they had allegedly offered hotel room bookings on Carousell, taken money from the victims for the said “booking” and became uncontactable after that.
Police’s press release
TWO MEN ARRESTED FOR CHEATING
The Police have arrested two men, aged 28 and 43, for their suspected involvement in separate cases of cheating involving hotel room bookings.
In February and March 2023, the Police received two separate reports of cheating related to hotel room bookings. In both the reports, the victims responded to listings on Carousell by unknown sellers offering hotel room bookings. After deciding on the room types and length of stay, the victims transferred a sum of $270 and $430 each to the sellers’ bank accounts as a deposit. Upon receipt of the deposit, both sellers became uncontactable.
Through follow-up investigations, officers from Woodlands Police Division established the identity of the sellers for both cases and arrested them on 21 March 2023. Preliminary investigations reveal that both men are believed to be involved in at least 10 other cases of cheating related to hotel scams, involving losses of at least $3,000.
The men will be charged in court on 23 March 2023 with cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871, which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information related to such scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next victim!
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
22 March 2023 @ 9:30 PM