Woman and 2 teens allegedly cheated almost $10k by listing fake luxury bags for sale on Carousell

Three people, aged between 16 and 21, have been arrested over a series of e-commerce scams involving the sale of luxury bags on Carousell.

The police received multiple reports between January and June 2020, from victims who were purportedly cheated by online sellers who claimed to be selling authentic luxury bags at a discounted price on Carousell.

"Some of the victims eventually discovered that the bags were counterfeit while a few of them did not receive the bags after payments were made as the suspects became uncontactable," said the police on Saturday (Aug 15).

Through investigations, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identities of a woman and two teenagers, and arrested them on Aug 11 and 12.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that they are believed to be involved in at least seven cases of such scams amounting to $9,800," the police added.

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 take the following 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; and

  • 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