Updated: 09/06/2013 15:57 | By Channel NewsAsia
Police warn of "mixed delivery order" scams
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SINGAPORE: Police are warning of scams where victims do not get the goods which they bought online and are also cheated into making more payments.
They said the number of "mixed delivery order" scams is going up.
53 cases were reported in July and August with the total amount cheated at over S$40,000.
26 such cases were reported for the whole of last year.
Police said culprits would post online advertisements selling smartphones, tablet PCs and laptops on popular websites at below market prices to entice victims.
Interested victims would be asked to make payments through interbank transfers to local bank accounts or remit payment via remittance agencies to overseas accounts.
The culprits would then email the victims to say that the shipment may have been delayed and more money is needed for the delivery.
The victims may receive emails notifying them of one of the following:
• Items were held or wrongly delivered to another country - an additional payment is required to retrieve the item(s). • Items were seized at the customs - an additional payment is required for storage fees, and victims receive the purported "seizure notice" in the email for added credibility. • Items faced courier/shipment problems faced - there was a mix-up with other items from a different order. As the delivery could not be cancelled (one-way delivery), victims need to pay for the cost of additional items. Alternatively, victims are offered the option to return the additional items back to source, but need to pay an additional refundable guarantee fee. • Items included in the package required minimum quantity or package was too light - the despatch manager could not authorise shipment as it did not meet the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ), thus requesting victim to put in more orders and make subsequent payments.
To avoid detection, the culprits recruited "money mules", who were holders of local bank accounts, to transfer the proceeds of crime from the mule's bank accounts to the culprits. - CNA/xq
