Man's $35,000 Rolex watch gets swapped with counterfeit by Carousell buyer, police report lodged

A man found out that his $35,000 Rolex watch was swapped with a counterfeit one during a meetup with an interested buyer.

He was first contacted by the buyer on Carousell, where he had listed his watch on the online marketplace.

In a report on The Straits Times, 30-year-old Mr Tang Guoxian said that he had planned to use the money from the sale of the watch to buy a house with his fiancee. 

He has since made a police report about the alleged theft.

The police confirmed that a report has been lodged and investigations are ongoing.

The watch was worth $35,000, according to a report from Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Wanbao.

Mr Tang told the newspaper that he was an active Carousell user and would often list Rolex and Panerai watches for sale.

He told Shin Min that the buyer had contacted him on Tuesday at about 5.45pm.

As he was busy at the time, he told his fiancee to meet the buyer at the void deck of his Boon Keng Road home with the watch.

"After looking at the watch, (the buyer) said that he needed some time to consider and then left in a hurry," Mr Tang said.

He added that the buyer had insisted on placing the watch back into its box, and his fiancee did not think too much of his request.

However, when he returned home later that night, he noticed that the colour of the watch appeared different and that it also felt lighter.

Upon realising that he might have been cheated, he tried to contact the buyer but to no avail. He said the buyer has since shut all his social media accounts.

Determined to track him down, he went online and found the man's home address and mobile number. At the address, he met the buyer's mother at the door.

When she heard that her son may be involved in the theft, the woman apologised to Mr Tang and even went on her knees to plead for forgiveness, according to Shin Min.

A man, who claimed to be the buyer's father, told Shin Min yesterday that he was shocked to hear of the case.

He said: "My son is a good person. My family is disappointed to hear of the claims made against him."