Under the Criminal Procedure Code, the police are empowered to initiate investigations only into suspected criminal offences, and they have to first assess whether a criminal offence was committed when they receive a complaint against a timeshare, said Mr S Israwan.
<!-- /tab-gallery-area --> SINGAPORE: There were an average of 110 police reports lodged against timeshare companies a year over the last five years, Mr S Iswaran said in Parliament on Wednesday (Oct 8). The police have initiated investigations into about half of these reported cases, he added.
This has resulted in investigations into eleven groups of timeshare companies in the past five years. In one of the cases that is still in Court, the accused has been charged with 72 counts of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, added Mr Iswaran, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry.
He was responding to a question from Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher De Souza, who asked whether the police could take on a more active role in investigating complaints against timeshare companies as criminal offences under cheating rather than leaving it to aggrieved customers to bring civil claims at their own cost.
Mr S Iswaran said that under the Criminal Procedure Code, the police are empowered to initiate investigations only into suspected criminal offences, and they have to first assess whether a criminal offence was committed when they receive a report or complaint.
He added that while the police take a serious view of persons or companies misleading or deceiving unsuspecting consumers into making sham purchases, gathering evidence is challenging and can take a long time as many errant timeshare companies are incorporated overseas, and masterminds may also use false names to run the companies.
POLICE ON THE CASE
He said the police will continue to work with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and media partners to alert the general public and potential consumers of any emerging timeshare scams, adding that the regulations of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) that protect consumers against errant timeshare companies were revised earlier in 2014 to provide consumers with greater protection and flexibility and encourage timeshare companies to review their products and services. Under the CPFTA, CASE may obtain injunction orders against errant traders for unfair practices such as misleading claims and pressure selling.
Mr Iswaran also reminded consumers to remain vigilant and do their due diligence before signing any contract with timeshare companies.
"Consumers should check for information on their obligations and their rights to cancel the contract, which timeshare companies are required to provide before any contract is signed. Attention should also be paid to the fine print and hidden costs so that an informed decision can be made," said Mr Iswaran.
"In cases involving breaches of contract conditions, aggrieved consumers will need to seek recourse through civil means."
- CNA/av
<!-- /tab-gallery-area --> SINGAPORE: There were an average of 110 police reports lodged against timeshare companies a year over the last five years, Mr S Iswaran said in Parliament on Wednesday (Oct 8). The police have initiated investigations into about half of these reported cases, he added.
This has resulted in investigations into eleven groups of timeshare companies in the past five years. In one of the cases that is still in Court, the accused has been charged with 72 counts of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, added Mr Iswaran, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry.
He was responding to a question from Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher De Souza, who asked whether the police could take on a more active role in investigating complaints against timeshare companies as criminal offences under cheating rather than leaving it to aggrieved customers to bring civil claims at their own cost.
Mr S Iswaran said that under the Criminal Procedure Code, the police are empowered to initiate investigations only into suspected criminal offences, and they have to first assess whether a criminal offence was committed when they receive a report or complaint.
He added that while the police take a serious view of persons or companies misleading or deceiving unsuspecting consumers into making sham purchases, gathering evidence is challenging and can take a long time as many errant timeshare companies are incorporated overseas, and masterminds may also use false names to run the companies.
POLICE ON THE CASE
He said the police will continue to work with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and media partners to alert the general public and potential consumers of any emerging timeshare scams, adding that the regulations of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) that protect consumers against errant timeshare companies were revised earlier in 2014 to provide consumers with greater protection and flexibility and encourage timeshare companies to review their products and services. Under the CPFTA, CASE may obtain injunction orders against errant traders for unfair practices such as misleading claims and pressure selling.
Mr Iswaran also reminded consumers to remain vigilant and do their due diligence before signing any contract with timeshare companies.
"Consumers should check for information on their obligations and their rights to cancel the contract, which timeshare companies are required to provide before any contract is signed. Attention should also be paid to the fine print and hidden costs so that an informed decision can be made," said Mr Iswaran.
"In cases involving breaches of contract conditions, aggrieved consumers will need to seek recourse through civil means."
- CNA/av
