SCAM SYNDICATE MEMBERS ARRESTED
The latest cases came after a bakery, a florist and a hawker stall were hit last week by fake bulk order scams involving people claiming to be SAF personnel.
Police said on Tuesday that at least five such cases were reported since Sep 4, with total losses amounting to at least S$32,000.
The three people police arrested had allegedly acted on the instructions of a scam syndicate, said the Singapore Police Force.
In July, police warned of fake bulk order scams targeting the renovation, F&B, retail and service industries.
The scammers would pose as teachers or staff from academic institutions in Singapore.
They would contact renovation firms, restaurants, retailers or service-related businesses via phone call or WhatsApp message, pretending to be customers making bulk orders or reservations.
The scammers would later request additional items, specific brands of items that the targeted businesses do not carry, or order quantities that the businesses are unable to fulfil on short notice.
They would then recommend another scammer impersonating as a “supplier” to the victims.
The “customer” may provide fake payment documentation, such as screenshots, to convince the victims that they had made a partial payment for the bulk order in advance.
This tactic is used to persuade the victims to provide payment for the orders placed with the “supplier”.
Victims would only realise they have been scammed when they did not receive any payment from the “customer”, when the “supplier” fails to deliver the goods, or when both the “customer” and the “supplier” become uncontactable.
