SINGAPORE - Two men and a teenager, aged between 19 and 31, were arrested on March 17 and 18 for their suspected involvement in more than 55 cases of scams where the victims lost more than $13,500.

The 18-year-old teenager is allegedly responsible for 50 e-commerce scam cases involving more than $4,900, the police said.

Investigations revealed that the victims responded to an advertisement on the sale of face masks on Carousell and were directed to make advance payments via bank transfers. The face masks were not delivered to the buyers and the online seller was not contactable.

The teenager was charged with cheating on March 19.

The second suspect, a 26-year-old man, was arrested on March 18.

The victim was told by the Carousell seller to help with transferring money into a bank account in return for a fee.

After transferring more than $2,800 using the victim's own money, the online seller was not contactable.

The suspect was charged with cheating on March 20.

The 31-year-old man is believed to be involved in four separate cases of e-commerce scams amounting to more than $5,600. He was arrested on March 18.

Investigations revealed that the victims responded to an advertisement on the sale of Apple AirPods and other items such as desktop computers and bicycles on Carousell. The victims were directed to make advance payments via bank transfers, but the goods were not delivered and the online seller was not contactable.

The man was charged with cheating on March 20.

Those convicted of cheating may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

The police advised the public to exercise caution when dealing with online sellers and making online purchases during the current Covid-19 situation as scammers may try to leverage on public anxieties to cheat victims.