At least 360 victims lost $43k since May to freecycling scams advertising second-hand items

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The items ranged from bicycles to large appliances such as washing machines or refrigerators. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SINGAPORE – Some 360 people have lost at least $43,000 since May to freecycling scams where victims were lured by giveaways or sale of second-hand items posted on online platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp, said the police in a statement on Monday.After victims contacted the scammers via the messaging function of the respective apps, scammers would request payment for the second-hand items, and for the giveaways, a delivery or reservation fee.

Payments were usually made via bank transfers or through e-wallets such as Singtel Dash or GooglePay.According to the mid-year scam statistics for 2023 released last Wednesday, the number of scam victims in Singapore rose in the first half of 2023. There were 22,339 cases logged, a 64.5 per cent increase from the 13,576 cases during the same period in 2022.

But the total amount that victims lost in the first half of 2023 dropped slightly to $334.5 million, from $342.1 million during the same period in 2022., or call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688.

 

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