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23 January 2016
IS THIS A SCAM, A SEX SCAM?
Pay the booking fee, get a rendezvous and a time and NOBODY TURNS UP?
OR IS SHE REAL?
And you get what you book her for?
Woman in Jurong West posts racy photos on Facebook — then asks people to ‘book’ her http://bit.ly/1nfb2kH
…
According to the woman’s profile, she lives in Jurong West and constantly posts pictures asking ‘who wants to book her today’.
This has attracted comments from several interested males, telling her how pretty and sexy she is.
One had also asked if the entire thing was real or a scam.
At least two responded that she was indeed real, and even asked if they could book her again.
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11 January 2016
In the first half of 2015, people in Singapore lost S$1.59 million in such scams, as well as S$3.7 million in Internet love scams. In the latter, scammers seek out victims via dating sites or social networking platforms and typically cheat them by claiming to be in financial trouble.
…
“They’ll easily believe me”: An online scammer tells #GetReal Singaporeans are easy targets http://bit.ly/1kZQ1ZS
SINGAPORE: Jimmy (not his real name) is a user of WeChat, a free text messaging and calling app. It has 650 million monthy active users worldwide.
Last year, Jimmy received a message from someone calling herself “Momi”. Jimmy added her as a friend on WeChat and they started chatting regularly.
Momi began sending revealing photos of herself, offering to be a “part-time girlfriend” in exchange for money. Jimmy, who has not met any of his WeChat contacts, agreed and arranged to meet Momi.
However, Momi never arrived to meet Jimmy. Instead, the Singaporean received a call from Momi’s “friend”, who asked him to buy an iTunes card as payment for Momi’s sexual services. After Jimmy complied, he was asked to prove his identity by taking a photo of his identity card. That photo was then used to blackmail and threaten him into silence and further compliance.
Jimmy had become a victim of an online credit-for-sex scam and had no choice but to report the case to the police.
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One of the latest variants of the credit-for-sex scam comes from the Philippines, the National Crime Prevention Council has said.
Janice (not her real name), a 27-year-old wife and mother in the Philippine capital Manila, carries out online scams on a full-time basis. Like many online scammers, Janice was introduced to the business of online scamming by her friends. The attraction of financial rewards was something she could not ignore. Through online scams alone, Janice makes an average of US$2,100 monthly. In the Philippines, that is equivalent to a senior manager’s monthly salary. So lucrative is her trade that she has since introduced the skill of scamming to her neighbour.
Janice told GET REAL why Singaporeans are easier, more “gullible” targets for scammers like her both in and out of the country.
…With them (Singaporeans), I can just say anything and they will easily believe me,” said Janice.
Even though a large number of Singaporeans are considered relatively Internet-savvy, some seeking companionship turn to online dating sites where many “love scammers” operate, said experts.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/online-scams-singaporeans/2415106.html?cid=twtcna
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From January to April 2015 S$1.25 million lost in sex scams.
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29 December 2015
THEY ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE CHINAWOMAN SCAMMER BUT HER SINGAPOREAN HUSBAND SAYS HE DOESN’T KNOW HER WHEREABOUTS.
Former lounge singer ‘disappears with $10m in remittance money’
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SINGAPORE – A former lounge singer who offered to help fellow Chinese nationals and performers remit money back home at cut-price rates has allegedly disappeared with more than $10 million of their savings.
Ms Li Xia, 38, a permanent resident here who runs a boutique and beauty salon in North Bridge Road with her Singaporean husband, offered to convert $1 to RMB5.1, compared with market rates of $1 to RMB 4.6, according to Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao.
Alleged victims told the newspaper that this attracted a rush from people to send money to their families in China before the Lunar New Year.
…
She has lived in Singapore for at least 10 years, and is originally from Chongqing, China.
Dancer Liu Si Qi, 24, told Zaobao that she has ordered costumes from Ms Li over the past three years and sent money back to Shaanxi through Ms Li around 10 times. Recently she sent back $140,000 to renovate her family home, but that sum now appears to be missing.
Ms Liu told Zaobao that when a group of victims visited the boutique on Wednesday, Ms Li’s husband was there but was unsure where his wife was and he claimed they lead separate lives.
But according to the couple’s domestic helper in Hougang, they are a loving couple, evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported. The helper said that before Ms Li disappeared, she was carrying a suitcase and heading to the boutique.
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26 December 2015
Victims said the alleged scammer is a female Chinese national who runs a clothing store located near North Bridge Road.
- Posted 26 Dec 2015 23:37
SINGAPORE: About 200 people – most of whom are Chinese nationals – are understood to have lost more than S$3m in total to an alleged remittance scam carried out in Singapore.
Victims said the alleged scammer is a female Chinese national who runs a clothing store located near North Bridge Road.
The alleged scam involves offering Chinese nationals a higher exchange rate when they transfer money to their bank accounts in China. But the victims realised they had been conned when they found out that their money were not credited into their bank accounts.
It was made worse when they could not contact or find the alleged scammer.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/200-lose-s-3m-to-alleged/2378842.html?cid=twtcna
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Man cheated on WeChat in S’pore says scammers are ‘very flirtatious and hard to resist’ http://goo.gl/Vulhbw
MyPaper
19 June 2015
He nearly fell for the charms of a “young, sexy woman” on chat app WeChat once. But he was not so lucky the second time round and was allegedly cheated of $650.
The 52-year-old, who gave his name only as Mr Chen, is among many victims who have been scammed in a similar manner this year.
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In Mr Chen’s case, the construction worker said he had met several people who appeared to be young women on social media platforms. Once he got their contacts, he would chat with them on WeChat, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.
“They looked very young and were dressed sexily. They were very flirtatious and hard to resist,” said Mr Chen in Mandarin.
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Mr Chen tried to confront some of the “sexy women” he had met over their alleged scam tactics. Some scolded him while others chose not to reply, with several even deleting their accounts.
“Other than a few who arranged to meet at Ang Mo Kio, many of them wanted to meet at Bedok. I think there could be some syndicate behind this,” Mr Chen said.
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Malaysian first to be hauled to court for his part in a “credits for sex” scam http://tdy.sg/1flq4BB
… By
SINGAPORE — A 22-year-old Malaysian yesterday became the first to be hauled to court here for his part in a “credits for sex” scam, a racket that has recently gained notoriety in Singapore and other countries such as the United States and China. Liew Yii Tern is accused of being part of a syndicate that fleeced men by falsely promising them sexual services.
In the first five months of this year, more than 500 police reports on such scams have been lodged, with victims losing more than S$1.25 million. Prosecutors said yesterday the three charges pressed against Liew were only the “tip of the iceberg”.
Two of his charges stated that Liew helped someone called “Lao Ban”, or “boss” in Mandarin, to dupe men into thinking they were paying for sexual services. It was not mentioned in court how the victims got to know the women. It is also not known if more people will be charged.
In one case, Liew allegedly allowed his bank account to be used to receive S$38,600 from one victim. In the other, he picked up the ATM card of another man whose account had been used to receive about S$2,600. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years’ jail and a fine for each charge of abetment to cheat.
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At least 500 reports on “credits for sex” scams.
The ‘credits for sex’ scam works this way: a woman contacts you through social media platforms such as WeChat, and offers you a date or sexual services.
The price? Yes, it’s not free. Of course not!
She asks you to pay for her online purchases.
Read the report:
‘Credits for sex’ scam victims lose S$1.25m from Jan to May http://tdy.sg/1GZST30
The scammers would typically ask the victims to purchase cards from AXS machines, and send images of the receipts together with the personal identification numbers (PINs) for the cards to designated email accounts for them to claim the credits.
In some cases, other members of the syndicates would contact the victims and ask them to make more purchases. Earlier this month, a variation of the scam emerged: Victims were asked to hand over their ATM cards and their PINs before they could meet the women.
They were instructed to leave their ATM cards at public locations, and told that their cards would be returned to them after they met the women. The cards were then collected by unknown persons and the monies in the accounts linked to the cards were pilfered. On some occasions, these accounts were used to receive funds from other victims of crime.
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…Between January and April, 373 victims fell for the scam and the sum cheated totalled S$812,000, with one of the victims made S$43,137 poorer, they said.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/credits-sex-scam-victims-lose-s125m-jan-may
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Police launch commercials to highlight rise in scams
A nationwide anti-scam public education campaign is set to feature three television commercials, as part of an ongoing move to combat the recent rise in cheating cases.
- POSTED: 23 May 2015 11:38
FIGHTING SCAMMERS: @SingaporePolice launching new commercials to highlight rise in cheating http://bit.ly/1Q2oShC
…SINGAPORE: The National Crime Prevention Council and the Singapore Police Force are launching on Saturday (23 May) the first of three television commercials as part of a nationwide anti-scam public education campaign. … Statistics show reported cyber extortion scam cases rose 138 per cent, from 108 in 2013 to 257 in 2014. Lottery scams increased by 43 per cent, from 213 in 2013 to 304 in 2014. … The first commercial will be broadcasted on Channel 5 and Channel 8 in English and Chinese. The other two commercials will cover money mules and online purchase scams, and will be rolled out later this year. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/police-launch-commercials/1866886.html?cid=TWTCN — 23 May 2015
Man faces 10 years jail for SEA Games Facebook scam http://ow.ly/Nk689 http://ow.ly/i/aXds5
…– See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-news/man-arrested-sea-games-facebook-scam#sthash.aFVXc2jS.dpuf …
22 May 2015 See how quick the police are! I reported this on 19 May.
Man arrested for ‘SEA Games’ employment scam http://str.sg/UpB
…– See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/man-arrested-sea-games-employment-scam-20150522#sthash.IxyKh897.dpuf
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ICYMI: @seagames2015 job scam leaves at least 50 victims S$35 poorer http://tdy.sg/1FuPiJi
A crowd gathered at Carpenter Street for a few hours, seeking compensation for an alleged scam. Photo: Jaslin GohMay 19, 2015 SINGAPORE — The return of the SEA Games to Singapore for the first time in two decades is a big occasion for many Singaporeans. But for one group of people, the hope of being involved has gotten them embroiled in an alleged scam. They were recruited as towel and laundry attendants, and asked to pay a fee of S$35 for registration and a set of uniforms. But once the money was transferred, the recruiter, whom they know as Karim, vanished. A police report has been lodged and the authorities said investigations are being conducted. So far, about 50 individuals have come forward to say they were victims of the alleged scam. http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/sporting-event-job-scam-leaves-least-50-victims-s35-poorer — MALAYSIANS IN SINGAPORE, BEWARE! The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has no Alex Chang!
MFA warns of scam callers impersonating officers again, as more fall victim http://tdy.sg/1Kzv6E0
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/mfa-warns-about-scam-callers-impersonating-ministry-officers — Bogus Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) may call you up and ask you to verify your personal particulars and then ask you to pay a penalty for issues related to yourr immigration white card.
SCAM ALERT: MFA files police report over callers claiming to be its officers http://cna.asia/1PnnQyo
…MFA issues advisory on phone-call scammers who impersonate its officers http://str.sg/3fs
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