16-year-old arrested for involvement in Carousell scams

A 16-year-old girl was arrested for her suspected involvement in several scams on online marketplace Carousell on Monday (Jan 9). PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - A 16-year-old girl was on Monday (Jan 9) arrested for her suspected involvement in several scams on online marketplace Carousell, the police said in a news release on Wednesday.

She had allegedly advertised slimming cream on Carousell at attractive prices, but "became evasive" and did not deliver the goods after victims transferred money to her, the police said.

Victims had made several police reports since Sept 28 last year (2016).

Officers from Central Division arrested the teenager on Monday after extensive investigations.

If found guilty of cheating, she can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

The police in their release advised the public to adopt the following measures to avoid falling prey to online purchase scams:

- Make your online purchases only from reputable vendors.

- If advanced payments are necessary, transact only with people you know and trust.

- Check that the person or company you are buying from is physically located where they claim to be.

- Check the company or seller's track record. Make inquiries with the clients and customers about the service they received from the seller.

- Never give your bank account numbers, credit card numbers and personal information to anyone you do not know or have not checked out.

- Do not provide any information that is not necessary to make the purchase.

- Be mindful that scammers may use a local bank account for the transaction to enhance their credibility. The owner of the bank account may not be the person communicating with you online.

For more information on scams, visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.

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