At least $53,000 lost to scams involving sale of cruise packages since April: Singapore police

SINGAPORE - Be on your guard if you are on social media and come across what looks like a good deal on a cruise holiday.

At least $53,000 has been lost in e-commerce scams involving the sale of cruise packages since April 1, the police said in an advisory on May 15.

The police added that at least 40 such cases have been reported since April.

In these cases, the victims would encounter listings of cruise packages, such as the Genting Dream cruise, on social media platforms such as Facebook, said the police.

When the victims respond to the listings, the scammers would convince them to continue the conversations on WhatsApp.

Victims would be asked to make payment via PayNow QR codes to book the packages. After the initial payment, the scammers would ask the victims to make further payments for additional fees such as taxes and fuel charges.

The police also said that, in some cases, scammers sent victims fake booking itineraries.

The victims realised they had been scammed only when they tried to verify with the cruise operators through official communication channels, or when they were informed by the police.

The police advise members of the public to book cruise packages only from the official website of cruise operators or licensed travel agents.

For the latest list of licensed travel agents in Singapore, visit the Singapore Tourism Board’s Travel Agents & Tourist Guides Licensing System website at https://trust.stb.gov.sg

Members of the public should also be wary of e-commerce scam red flags such as sellers offering large discounts in exchange for faster transactions, said the police. People should also never transfer money to unknown individuals or to those whose identities they did not verify, added the police.

If in doubt, call the ScamShield helpline on 1799.