Shopee customers lost $399,000 to scammers in 2024
At least 179 cases of e-commerce scams involving the sale of items on Shopee were reported to the police in 2024, with losses amounting to at least $399,000.
The scammers’ modus operandi was to host live streams or list products on the shopping platform to entice shoppers to place orders, police said in a release on Jan 24.
After an order was placed, the fake seller would nudge the victim to complete the transaction outside of the Shopee app, offering a discount in exchange.
The victim would be directed to messaging platforms, such as Telegram and WhatsApp, to complete the transaction.
In some cases, victims were added to Telegram group chats with other scammers posing as buyers.
These bogus buyers would confirm their receipt of products in the group chats to convince the victims that the sellers and products were legitimate.
The victims would transfer money through PayNow or bank transfers to purchase the products.
Some victims were also notified that their products were withheld at Customs and that they needed to transfer more money to resolve the issue.
They would realise that they had been scammed when they did not receive the products, or when the sellers became uncontactable or banned by Shopee.
Shopee customers are advised to transact within the shopping app to ensure protection by Shopee Guarantee, which is a safety feature that withholds payments to sellers until buyers confirm receipt of products, said police.
For more information on scams, please visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799.
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