Woman nearly scammed by dating website

[youallhumsup]

Woman nearly scammed by dating website
Posted: 25 October 2011 1521 hrs

SINGAPORE: A 34-year-old woman was asked to transfer about S$14,000 to someone's bank account to secure the release of a friend she met on a dating website.

But sensing something was amiss, the woman called the police to check and found out it was a scam.

Both the police and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority do not require the transfer of monies into bank accounts for the release of any person being detained.

The woman was at the airport to meet the friend who claimed to be an American travelling to Singapore to visit her after their online meeting.

But when she turned up at Changi Airport on October 21, she received a call from a man claiming to be an immigration officer, informing her that her American friend had been detained for bringing large sums of money into Singapore.

The caller then told her to transfer about S$14,000 to a bank account urgently to secure his release.

Police have classified the case as attempted cheating. Offenders found guilty may be jailed up to 10 years and fined.

Police have also asked members of the public to take extra caution in befriending strangers on the Internet and not to make any bank transfer payment for bail or fine as the authorities do not require such transfers of money.

Members of the public should also not entertain emails or any online messages that are unfamiliar.

Anyone who encounters similar incidents may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or '999' if urgent police assistance is required.

- CNA/ck


<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BOkLp0_usc8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

 

[youallhumsup]

Internet love scams hit Singapore again!
shirley
inSing.com

<cite style="display: block; font-style: normal; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; ">Internet love scams hit Singapore again!</cite>
Internet love cheats strike again.

A Singapore woman almost fell for an internet love scam. The 34 year-old women befriended an American guy on a dating site and he told her that he would fly to Singapore to meet her.

She agreed to meet him at Changi airport on 21 October. But when she got to the airport, she received a call from someone who claimed to be an immigration officer.

The caller told her that her American friend had been detained by the immigration department for carrying excessive cash.

In order to secure his release, the caller asked the lady to transfer $14,000 to a foreign bank account.

However, the woman felt that something was amiss and immediately went to the police to seek clarification. She later found out that it was a hoax.

Police issued a statement on 26 October to expose the scam and urged the public to take extra precautions to avoid being cheated.

Source: Shin Min Daily News, 25 October 2011.