According to a Police media release, The police have noticed a resurgence in non-banking phishing scams involving emails and text messages.
At least 150 people were thought to have fallen victim to such schemes in September 2021.
How the scam works and how to avoid it?
How they look like: Scammers imitating entities such as government agencies, trade unions, or firms such as SingPost and Netflix sent emails or SMS messages to victims of such phishing scams.
What they say: These emails and SMS messages make false promises or claims in order to get users to click on a URL link. Outstanding payment for parcel delivery, disruptions to services or subscriptions, refunds, or promotions are examples of such bogus offers or claims.
How they take your money: Victims will be routed to phishing websites after clicking on the URL links, where they will be tricked into submitting their credit/debit card data and One-Time Password (OTP). Victims only realized they had been duped after they returned home.
According to the Police media release a 25-year-old man was apprehended after he was suspected in a series of e-commerce scams.
In a span of 125 days between June 11 and Oct 14 2021, the Police said that they received multiple reports stating that they have been cheated by a seller on Carousell.
The man went missing after bank transfers were made.
Officers from the Clementi Police Division uncovered the man’s identification and apprehended him on October 14, 2021.
According to preliminary investigations, the man is suspected of being engaged in at least 100 cases of e-commerce fraud totalling more than $114,000.
The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, is punishable with an imprisonment term that may extend to 10 years and a fine.