The Police would like to alert members of the public to the re-emergence of a phishing scam variant. Scammers would pose as buyers on Carousell and victims would be instructed to complete the transaction on CarouPay after receiving emails with phishing URL links from scammers purportedly impersonating Carousell. Since January 2022, there have been at least 72 victims, with losses amounting to at least $109,000.
Scammers would typically approach victims on Carousell and express interest in purchasing items that the victims are selling. After agreeing to the sale of the item, the scammer would request to make payment via CarouPay to the victim’s PayNow account. Thereafter, the victims would receive an email purportedly sent from Carousell, indicating that payment was made but they were required to access the phishing URL link provided within the email in order to receive the payment. Upon clicking on these URL links, victims would be redirected to fraudulent websites impersonating bank websites, where the victims would be tricked into providing their banking details and One-Time Password in order to receive payments. Victims would only realise that they have been scammed when they discovered unauthorised transactions made to their bank accounts.
Members of the public are advised to follow these crime prevention measures:
Carousell Protection (previously known as CarouPay) will never require you to confirm payment via email or require you to reveal any online banking login credentials through 3rd party websites;
Always verify the buyer’s profile on online marketplaces by checking the account’s verification status, creation date, reviews and ratings;
Do not click on URL links provided in unsolicited emails and text messages;
If in doubt, always verify the authenticity of the information with the e-commerce platform directly, or with the banks;
Never disclose your personal or Internet banking details and OTP to anyone; and
Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.
If you have any information relating to such crimes, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. If you require urgent Police assistance, please 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. Join the ‘Spot the Signs. Stop the Crimes’ campaign at www.scamalert.sg/fight by signing up as an advocate to receive up-to-date messages and share them with your family and friends. Together, we can help stop scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next victim.
Source: Singapore Police Force