4 youths arrested over series of sexual services scam on Locanto

Four youths, aged between 15 and 20, have been arrested for their suspected involvement in a series of sexual services scam.

The police said they received several reports between July 12 and 15, from victims who were purportedly duped into making payments after responding to online advertisements offering sexual services posted on Locanto.

After the payments were made, the scammer became uncontactable.

Through investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identities of the suspects and arrested them on Aug 11 and 12.

Police investigations are ongoing

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

• Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

• Be wary of friend requests or online listings offering escorts, 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.

• Note that scammers may use a local bank account to enhance credibility; however, the owner of the account may not be the person communicating with you online.

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