At least $160k lost to lucky draw, e-commerce scams via live streaming since August: Police

SINGAPORE – At least $160,000 has been lost to lucky draw and e-commerce scams conducted via social media live streaming since August, the police said on Oct 18.

There were at least 30 reported lucky draw scams and 13 e-commerce scams carried out on platforms such as Facebook Live.

In the lucky draw scams, victims bought scratch cards that offered a chance to win cash prizes, after they came across Facebook Live streams promoting these cards.

They were then asked to transfer more money to improve their chances of winning or increase the cash prize amount, or told they could make deferred payments.

When victims believed they had won, scammers demanded further transfers – often under the pretence of administrative fees or processing costs – to claim their winnings.

In the e-commerce scams, victims encountered Facebook Live streams promoting “gold mine bags” – bags that, according to the scammers, could potentially contain gold.

If the victims did not win, the scammers would urge them to buy more bags or to purchase bags with a higher chance of containing gold.

The scammers would also offer to re-purchase the gold from the victims at a price higher than the retail price. However, the victims would be asked to transfer more money to receive their profits.

In most cases, they were instructed to make bank transfers, by PayNow or DuitNow, often through QR codes provided by the scammers.

In both types of scams, the victims realised they had been scammed when they did not receive their winnings or profits as promised, or when they checked with the police.

The police warned the public against transferring money to unknown individuals. They should download the ScamShield app and alert their banks immediately of any suspicious activity in their accounts. If in doubt, they can call the ScamShield helpline on 1799.

In the first three months of 2024,

about 190 people lost at least $521,000

 in total to lucky draw scams.