SINGAPORE — Police have urged the public to take precautions when shopping online after an increase in the number of reported online transaction scams.

The precautions include not giving out bank account numbers, credit card details and personal information, checking the sellers’ track record, or finding out more by contacting the sellers.

The police also urged the public not to help those they have met online to make fund transfers, as they may be aiding and abetting a criminal in receiving the proceeds from a crime.

In January and February, there were 77 reported cases, double the figure for the same period last year.

In one case, a woman who wanted to be known only as Ms Tan was shopping for a tablet last November, and transferred S$200 as a deposit to a bank account a seller specified. The seller then told Ms Tan that she needed to order at least three tablets.

Ms Tan declined to proceed with the transaction, but the seller refused to return her the deposit. As Ms Tan had a copy of the seller’s identity card, she went to his house, but the person who answered the door said he’s not the seller, adding that his identity card could have been stolen.

As Ms Tan could not reach the seller on the phone either, she decided to make a police report.

Police investigations showed that the mastermind of the scam is a person from Nigeria.

The bank account that Ms Tan had transferred funds to also belonged to another victim.

“Actually I was very angry with myself because I’ve been doing online shopping for quite a while, since a few years back, so I took for granted the security. My sister even shared with me before her own experience, but I still fell for it,” she said. CHANNEL NEWSASIA