Two teens arrested in relation to sexual service scam

Two Singaporean teenagers, aged 15 and 18, were arrested for their suspected involvement in a sexual service scam case.

The police said they received a report on Apr 11 from a victim who was purportedly duped into making a payment of $200 after responding to an online advertisement posted on Locanto for sexual services.

After the payment was made, the scammer became uncontactable.

Officers from Jurong Police Division established the identities of the two youths and arrested them on June 17.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The offence for cheating carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The police advise the public to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

• Be wary of friend requests or online listings offering escort, massage or sexual services as they may be fraudulent in nature.

• Scammers may employ scare tactics to threaten victims into making more payments. Remain calm and do not accede to their requests.

• Do not give out your personal details such as your credit card information freely.

If you wish to provide any information relating to such cases, please call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

If you require urgent police assistance, please dial ‘999’. You may also call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg to seek scam-related advice.