Man allegedly cheated victims of over $10k by offering rooms and cars for rent, then going MIA

A 24-year-old man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in at least 26 cases of e-commerce scams amounting to more than $10,000.

In a statement on Wednesday (Apr 3), the police said they received several reports between December 2018 and March 2019, from victims who were purportedly cheated by an online seller.

The seller listed game consoles and mobile phones for sale on Carousell, as well as offered rooms and cars for rent on 'Rent in Singapore' and Roomgo.

After payments were made by the victims via bank transfers, the seller became uncontactable.

Through investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the man's identity and and arrested him on Monday (Apr 1).

He will be charged in court on April 3 with cheating, which is punishable with a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

Members of the public are advised to take these precautions when shopping online:

• Bear in mind that the party you are dealing with online is a stranger. Before performing a transaction on an online shopping site, find out how the site safeguards your interest or can help you resolve disputes;

• Insist on cash on delivery especially if responding to online classified advertisements;

• If advance payments are required, use shopping platforms that provide arrangements to only release your payment to the seller upon your receipt of the item;

• Be mindful that although sellers may provide a copy of an identification card or driver’s licence to gain your trust, it may not necessarily belong to the person communicating with you online;

• 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.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam hotline at 1800-722-6688.

Anyone with information on such scams may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.