SINGAPORE - A man has been arrested over a series of scams carried out via the online shopping portal Carousell.

Victims made several police reports between Dec 8 last year and Jan 10 saying they were cheated by an online seller who advertised the rental of a flat in Jalan Kukoh, as well as staycation packages at Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands on Carousell.

The victims made payments via bank transfers, but the suspect could not be contacted after that.

Officers from Clementi Police Division identified the suspect, 54, after extensive investigations and arrested him in Lorong 40 Geylang on Wednesday (Feb 14).

He will be charged in court with the offence of cheating, which is punishable with a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The police in their statement on Wednesday advised the public to adopt the following crime prevention measures to avoid being scammed online:

1. Do not share your PIN number, bank account number, one-time passwords or SMS verification codes with anyone.

2. Before performing a transaction, find out how the online site safeguards your interests or can help you resolve disputes if any arise.

3. Check the seller's track record by reading reviews or contacting previous customers.

4. Buy tickets only from authorised sellers and take note of the terms and conditions of the sale.

5. If advance payment is required, use shopping platforms that provide arrangements to release your payment to the seller only upon your receipt of the item.

For more information on scams, visit www.scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam helpline on 1800-722-6688.