Singapore: Cases of fraudulent purchases soar 120%, victims lost at least S$16,000

Police on Wednesday said there have been 130 reports of fraudulent purchases scams, a 120 percent increase from the same period last year.

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Representational Image of a mobile phone with all its applications Reuters

Police on Wednesday said there have been 130 reports of fraudulent purchases scams, a 120 percent increase from the same period last year.

These fraudulent purchases are charged to mobile phone bills that have cost their victims at least S$16,000 for far this year, said police in a Facebook post.

The scammers would first befriend the victims online by sending a request on Facebook. In some cases, the scammers' account would closely resemble the victims' friends.

After asking for the victim's mobile number and service provider, the scammers would make online purchases of gaming credits or virtual gift cards using the information provided.

Police advised the public not to share personal information including verification codes, bank account number and passwords.

"If you receive a friend request from a friend on social networking sites, verify with your friend via another means of communication before accepting the request," added police.

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