Police warn of new scam advertising fake jobs for e-commerce platforms
A screenshot of a fake job recruitment message on WhatsApp from a scammer. (Photo: Singapore Police Force)
SINGAPORE: A new scam trend has surfaced, where scammers offer fake part-time jobs for e-commerce platforms, said the police on Wednesday (May 12).
The fake advertisements are posted on Facebook, or sent via unsolicited WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers.
The scammers would offer part-time jobs such as an affiliate marketing associate, with a daily salary of between S$300 to S$500. The message would also include a WhatsApp number as a point of contact to sign up for the job.Â
If victims contact the number, the scammer would then explain that the job requires them to help e-commerce platform merchants improve their sales by making advance purchases. Victims would be assured that they would get their money refunded eventually, plus a 10 per cent commission.
The scammers would then provide an e-commerce platform item link to the victims, and instruct them to provide a screenshot of the item in their shopping cart.
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The victims would then be instructed to make payment for the item by transferring the money to a bank account number provided by the scammer.Â
This process would be repeated several times, beginning with low cost items, before progressing to more expensive items.Â
Victims would initially receive the refunds and the commission, but the scammers would eventually claim to have encountered issues with refunds, and stop paying the victims.
The scammers would then become uncontactable.
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The police would like to advise the members of public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Do not accept dubious job offers that offer lucrative returns for minimal effort
- Always complete your purchase on the e-commerce platform itself. Avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the seller as this method does not offer any protection
- Never share your bank account details with anyone. Your personal bank account is for your own usage and you are responsible for all transactions made through your bank account.
Those with information related to such crimes can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline at 1800-722-6688.Â
