SINGAPORE – At least 72 people have fallen victim to a phishing scam on Carousell since January, losing more than $109,000.
Scammers would pose as buyers on the consumer e-marketplace platform, expressing interest in purchasing items that the victims were selling, the police said in a statement on Thursday (March 3).
After an agreement had been reached, the scammer would request to make payment via CarouPay, the in-app payment feature, to the victim’s PayNow account.
The victims would then receive an e-mail from scammers purportedly sent from Carousell, stating that payment was made but they needed to access a phishing link in the e-mail to receive it.
They would be redirected to fraudulent websites impersonating bank websites, where they are tricked into giving their banking details and one-time password (OTP) in order to receive payments.
“Victims would only realise that they have been scammed when they discovered unauthorised transactions made to their bank accounts,” the police said.
The Straits Times has contacted Carousell for comment.
The police advised the public to always verify a buyer’s profile on online marketplaces by checking the account’s verification status, creation date, reviews and ratings.
Carousell Protection, which was previously known as CarouPay, will not require sellers to confirm payment through e-mail or reveal any online banking log-in credentials through third-party websites, the police added.
The public is also advised not to click on…
