SINGAPORE: On Tuesday afternoon (May 20), the Singapore Police Force issued an alert concerning a rise in e-commerce scams involving the sale of Pokémon Trading Cards. This month alone, at least 54 victims have reported with total losses amounting to a minimum of $111,000.
This particular new variant of the scam involves listings of Pokémon Trading cards, mostly on Carousell. Would-be buyers, after expressing interest in the cards listed on the platform, would be asked to shift their communication to messaging platforms, including WhatsApp.
When they confirmed their orders, they would make payments to the sellers through PayNow or bank transfers, but would never receive the products they ordered. They would then be unable to further contact the sellers.
The Police are reminding the public to exercise caution when buying products from non-authorised platforms. One way to do this is to refuse to transfer to a messaging app, but instead keep on communicating within the platform and transacting in person so that buyers can inspect the products before making any payments.
The Police also warned against e-commerce scam red flags, such as large discounts for faster transactions, adding that would-be buyers should not transfer money to anyone they do not know. They should also never disclose their personal information, internet banking, or One-Time passwords to anyone.
Additionally, would-be buyers should also look for sellers with a good history and positive reviews.
The Police are also encouraging members of the public to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Add the ScamShield App to block and filter SMSes, and set up security features for payment accounts.
- Check for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield Helpline (1799), the ScamShield app, a trusted person, or through www.scamshield.gov.sg.
- Tell family, friends, and the authorities about the scams you encounter.
Pokémon card collection and trade are very popular around the world, in large part due to nostalgia, the trading card game, and the influence of social media. Some cards can fetch an astounding price, such as a rare Charizard card that sold for over US$400,000 (S$516,300).
“If you are in doubt, call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 to check. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!” the Police added. /TISG
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