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Man arrested for cheating more than 50 online shoppers
AsiaOne
Monday, Oct 15, 2012
Police have arrested a 23-year-old man suspected to have cheated more than 50 online shoppers.
Between June and Sept this year, police received numerous reports from victims who had placed online orders for the purchases of Polaroid cameras and related accessories with the suspect.
These victims transferred a total sum of about $10,000 to the bank accounts provided by the suspect. After the money had been transferred, the buyers never received their orders and also did not hear from the suspect again.
Officers from Jurong Police Division managed to locate and arrest the suspect after an extensive investigation. The suspect will be charged in court on Oct 16 for the offence of cheating, under Section 420 of the penal code.
If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 10 years and could also be fined.
The Police would like to advise the public to exercise caution when making online purchases, and take note of the following:
- Be cautious when dealing with unknown persons over the internet. Be wary of cheap deals especially those not offered by licensed, reputed and accredited dealers or agencies. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is;
- Do business with those you know and trust. Be sure you know who the company or person is and where they are physically located. Businesses operating in cyberspace may be located in another part of the world. Resolving problems with someone unfamiliar may be more complicated in cross-border transactions;
- Never give your bank account numbers, credit card numbers, personal information or send money to anyone you don’t know or have not checked out. Do not provide information that is not necessary to make the purchase;
- Check out the track record of the company/seller. Ask the company/seller for their list of clients/customers. Make enquiries with the clients/customers on the background and services provided by the company/seller. Be wary that fraud artists can appear and disappear especially in cyberspace, so the lack of a complaint record is no guarantee of legitimacy; and
- Know that the people in cyberspace may not be what they seem. Someone who is sharing a “friendly” tip about a moneymaking scheme or great bargain in a chat room or on a bulletin board may have an ulterior motive (i.e. to make money).
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