Rimowa luggage going for $4 on 'iShopChangi Singapore'? 19 victims lose $7k to scam

At least 19 victims have fallen prey to a new variant of phishing scam in December involving the impersonation of iShopChangi, with losses totalling more than $7,000.

The police said in a statement victims would come across Facebook advertisements or posts promoting luxury luggage manufacturer Rimowa's Hybrid series for prices as low as $4 for the first 1,000 buyers.

Some of these ads and posts were made to look legitimate, claiming it was a special collaboration between iShopChangi Singapore and Rimowa as part of the German brand’s 125th anniversary celebration.

After clicking on the ads or posts, victims would be redirected to phishing websites where their debit or credit card credentials were sought.

They would only realise they had been scammed after discovering unauthorised transactions made to their cards.

There are no such 'collaborations' for the $4 Rimowa luggage, the police said.

Rimowa’s Hybrid Cabin S model suitcase with a capacity of 32 litres is listed on the brand's website at $1,410.

The public is advised to install the ScamShield application and enable security features such as two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication for banks and transaction limits for Internet banking transactions.

The police said the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688 for more information on scams.

They can also report any scams to the police on 1800-255-0000 or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.