Mother and son arrested for alleged involvement in series of USS, concert ticket scams worth over S$110,000

SINGAPORE — The police have arrested a mother and son duo for their suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams involving the sale of tickets for Universal Studios Singapore (USS), concerts and other events.

In a statement on Wednesday (June 17), the police said that they arrested a 32-year-old man and his 62-year-old mother on Tuesday.

Between January and May this year, the police said that they received several reports from victims who were purportedly cheated by different online sellers advertising tickets for USS, concerts and other events on Carousell and Facebook.

The sellers then became uncontactable after the payments were made.

Through investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identities of the man and woman, and arrested them on Tuesday.

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the mother and son are believed to be involved in at least 450 cases of e-commerce scams amounting to more than S$110,000.

The man will be charged in court on Thursday with cheating. If convicted, he may be jailed up to 10 years and fined.

“The woman is assisting with the investigations,” the police said.

The authorities added that they take a serious view of people who are involved in scams and offenders will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

REMINDER TO THE PUBLIC TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS WHEN SHOPPING ONLINE

The police advised members of the public to take precautions when shopping online.

These include opting for buyer protection by using in-built payment options that release payment to the seller only upon delivery of the goods purchased.

Whenever possible, the police advised the public to avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to sellers.

They added that scammers may also entice buyers to contact the sellers directly through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or WeChat by “offering a better or faster deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them”.

Scammers may also use a local bank account or provide a copy of an identity card or a driver’s licence to make the public believe that they are genuine sellers.

“Do not fall for it,” the police said, adding that if the prices of the goods sold are too good to be true, they probably are.

Members of the public who would like more information on scams can visit scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800 722 6688.

Those with information on such scams may call the police hotline on 1800 255 0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.