Singapore police said on Saturday, August 18 that this week two men, aged 23, were arrested for their alleged involvement in a series of online purchase refund scams.
As mentioned in a statement, police said on August 1 they had received a report of multiple suspicious refund transactions of about $25,900 on an online shopping platform. This was done between August 2017 and March 2018 over 39 occasions.
These two men were believed have created multiple accounts on the shopping platform with different particulars. Police also said that they placed orders for high-value items such as gaming computer parts, mobile phones and other supplements.
After receiving the items, both the accused allegedly submitted requests for refunds, claiming that they had not received any items. The police also said that later they have listed the items online for re-sale at a major shopping site.
After receiving the complaint officers from the Central Police Division started their investigation and after identifying those two suspects, they arrested those men separately on Monday, August 13 and Tuesday, August 14. While one suspect was arrested at Lorong 5 Toa Payoh, the police nabbed the other man at Ang Mo Kio Ave 1. Later the police recovered the stolen items worth about $15,000.
As per the Penal Code Section 420 that governs Cheating and dishonestly inducing a delivery of property states that whoever cheats and thereby dishonestly induces the person deceived to deliver any property to any person, or to make, alter or destroy the whole or any part of a valuable security, or anything which is signed or sealed, and which is capable of being converted into a valuable security, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
