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Surge in credit-for-sex scams as victims lose $304,000 this year

SINGAPORE — At least $304,000 has been lost in credit-for-sex scams this year through social media platforms like Wechat, Locanto and OkCupid, the police said in a statement on Wednesday (March 22).

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TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — At least $304,000 has been lost in credit-for-sex scams this year through social media platforms like Wechat, Locanto and OkCupid, the police said in a statement on Wednesday (March 22).

The number of such scams has surged to 53 for the first 16 days in March alone. In 2016, the monthly average for such scams was 65.

Scammers work by establishing a level of rapport with their victims and duping them to buy gift cards or shopping credits such as Alipay Purchase cards or iTunes Gift cards in exchange for a meet-up, date or the promise of sexual favours.

The victims would then send the credits directly to the scammers’ email accounts.

There were instances where the victims were coerced to buy more online shopping credits, and they were threatened by the scammers if they refused.

A majority of the scammers adopted largely Chinese-sounding monikers to target Chinese-speaking victims, although scammers have used English aliases too.

The police warned the public to be wary of befriending strangers online and divulging personal details to other internet users. The public is also advised not to share online credit redemption details.

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