Man arrested over e-commerce hotel booking scams amounting to more than $40,000, Courts & Crime

SINGAPORE – A man believed to be involved in more than 100 cases of e-commerce hotel room booking scams was arrested on Tuesday (July 9).

The money involved in the scams amounted to more than $40,000.

Police said in a statement on Wednesday that the 31-year-old man had deceptively presented himself as a genuine hotel business owner and roped in at least 10 unsuspecting Carousell users to help him list discounted hotel bookings for sale. Victims found that they could not contact the sellers after transferring the deposit payments.

The man, whose identity has been established, is slated to be charged in court on Thursday with cheating. If found guilty, he can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

The other Carousell users involved are assisting with police investigations.

Police advised members of the public to remain vigilant in guarding against such scams, especially if they are approached by strangers to advertise their goods and services in exchange for a fee.

Shoppers should insist on cash on delivery or only releasing advance payments to sellers upon receiving the receipt of the items they bought.

The public can also visit www.scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688 if they have any concerns.

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