Police warn of phishing scam involving fake ads selling crabs at discounted prices

The police have received several reports this month of a phishing scam involving fake advertisements selling crabs with total losses amounting to more than $15,000.

Victims surfing the Internet or social media platforms would receive pop-up ads offering cheap deals on crabs, purportedly from a restaurant known as "Crabber Resto" or "Jack Crab Resto".

After clicking the ads, victims would be redirected to a webpage with a selection of crabs offered at a discounted price.

The victims would then be prompted to make payment for the crabs purchased by entering their credit or debit card details and One-Time Password (OTP) received in the webpage to complete their transaction.

The victims allegedly did not receive the crabs they bought and only realised they had been scammed when they discovered unauthorised transactions made to their credit or debit card.

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

• If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Purchase only from reputable sources, especially for high-value items;

• Always check that the amount to be deducted from your credit or debit card tallies with the amount that you have agreed to pay;

• Always verify the authenticity of the information with the official website or sources;

• Contact your card-issuing bank immediately if you receive an OTP and did not make any online transactions;

• Always verify the merchant details indicated in the OTP text message/notification before providing your OTP. Do not key or input your OTP on the payment page if you are not making the transaction;

• Never disclose your personal or Internet banking details and OTP to anyone; and

• Report any fraudulent credit/debit card charges to your bank and cancel your card immediately.

If you wish to provide any information related to such scams, you may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. If you require urgent police assistance, dial ‘999’.

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