SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic helper fell prey to a cash-on-delivery scam and took to social media to share her situation with others.
In an anonymous post to a Facebook support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, the maid wrote that she received a parcel at her employer’s residence. “i paid it in my own money without asking or call my employer because my employer not around .its complete detail name,addres,even cp number stated there ,so i really thought its employer package”, she added.
However, it was not a package her employer ordered.
Cash-on-delivery (COD) scams lure customers to pay in cash for parcels that:
- They did not buy; or
- Do not match their expected purchases
With the recent rise of online shopping transactions, these scams are becoming more prevalent.
Scammers are devising more elaborate schemes. The scammers can pose as legitimate online sellers on fake websites or pose as sellers on social media.
Many of these scammers send their COD parcels via forwarders, who then assign the deliveries to companies.
How These Scams Work
Forwarders consolidate shipments together from multiple sellers, which could include scammers, before passing them to logistics service providers to deliver to your doorstep.
These companies then deliver the parcels to your address and collect cash on behalf of the forwarders. The cash is then remitted to the forwarders who then remit the cash to the original shippers.
Later, the customers or their family members helping the customers receive the parcel realise that the item is not something they have ordered or the parcel contains something of lower value.
The maid then added: “Lesson learn::i must call 1st my employer before paying anything”.
Here’s what netizens who commented on her post said:
