A 27-year-old Singaporean man was convicted on 16 August 2022 of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871. The man pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to eight weeks’ imprisonment.
In March 2020, COVID-19-related restrictions were imposed on land travel between Malaysia and Singapore. On 29 November 2021, the Singapore–Malaysia Vaccinated Travel Lane (“VTL”) was launched where certain persons could travel between Singapore and Malaysia without having to serve quarantine in either country provided they travelled through the Woodlands Checkpoint on designated daily VTL bus services.
The Commercial Affairs Department investigated the man for using the Carousell platform to cheat three victims into believing that he had VTL Bus Tickets available for sale when he had none and when he had no means to obtain the tickets. After receiving payment from the victims, the man became uncontactable and removed his listing from Carousell.
The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.
The Police take a serious view of persons involved in scams and frauds, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. The Police would like to advise members of the public to be very careful when making online purchases:
Opt for buyer protection by using in-built payment options that release payment to the seller only upon delivery. Whenever possible, avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the seller.
Scammers may entice buyers to contact them directly through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or WeChat by offering a better or faster deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them. They may also use a local bank account or provide a copy of an NRIC/driver’s licence to make you believe that they are genuine sellers. Do not fall for it!
If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources, especially for high-value items.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.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.
Source: Singapore Police Force