Singapore police have arrested a 23-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man for allegedly cheating victims by advertising the sale of Hari Raya cakes and cookies online, but not delivering them after orders were made. In a press release on Friday, the police revealed that this was done through Instagram.
The police said that a number of complaints were reported between Jun 19 and Jun 21 from victims, who said they did not receive the goods after making payment for their orders. They were also not able to contact the sellers on their Instagram account rayabakesale. According to Channel NewsAsia reports, the suspects are a couple and had been working together in the scam.
On Thursday, police arrested the two suspects following investigations. The woman will be charged on Saturday with the offence of cheating, while investigations against the man are still going on. If convicted, the woman faces a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.
The authorities have advised the members of the public to be careful about such fake advertisements. They are requested to purchase from official retail platforms and in case of online shopping, they should take the following precautions:
- One should always find out how the online site safeguards the buyer's interest or can help him to resolve disputes before doig the transaction, as the person on the other end is a complete stranger.
- If possible, one should always opt for cash on delivery option. If advanced payments are required, always try and use shopping platforms that provide arrangements to release your payment to the seller only upon your receipt of the item.
