At least 192 victims lost $162,000 to baby products e-commerce scams since January

SINGAPORE – At least 192 people have fallen prey to e-commerce scams involving baby products since January, losing at least $162,000.

The police warned on Wednesday of a resurgence of such scams on fraudulent Facebook pages selling food and non-food items.

The scammers would tout discounted baby products like diapers and strollers directly to the victims. They would also promote the products using sponsored advertisements on social media platforms like Facebook.

Victims would be asked to contact the supposed sellers on Facebook Messenger to place their orders. They would then be told to make payment to the scammers’ bank accounts via PayNow.

Victims would realise they have been scammed only when they did not receive the goods and/or when the “seller” became uncontactable, the police said in an advisory.

Reports have been lodged against the Shopping Retail and Imported High-Quality Seafood Facebook pages, and investigations are ongoing.

A similar e-commerce scam has also been making the rounds since February.

In an advisory earlier in March, the police said

at least 168 people lost at least $20,000 to scams

involving the sale of food items, where the scammers would pose as sellers on online platforms such as Facebook.

Reports were lodged against allegedly fraudulent Facebook pages including Grocery Retail, Department Store, Juewei Food, Baihui Mall and Ocean Fishery Exchange.

The police advise the public to download the ScamShield app and set security features including enabling two-factor authentication for their bank, social media and Singpass accounts.

Transaction limits on Internet banking transactions such as those via PayNow should also be set.

Members of the public should check for signs of a scam through official sources, such as

www.scamalert.sg

or the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.

The police said: “If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources and be wary of attractive, time-sensitive deals where only limited stocks are available.”

The public should also remember to verify the seller’s profile through customer reviews and ratings, and avoid making upfront payments to unknown individuals, said the police.

Any fraudulent Facebook pages should be reported to the platform, the police added.

Those with information related to such crimes can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit it online at

www.police.gov.sg/iwitness