The Judiciary Police (PJ) urged the public yesterday to be wary of goods order scams.
According to a PJ statement yesterday, the Judiciary Police recently received a report from a resident that a fraudster who impersonated a staff member of a local school called a furniture shop and claimed that he or she was in need of a large quantity of bunk beds and mattresses.
The purported school staff member then instructed the furniture shop owner to place an order for mattresses from his or her “designated” supplier, telling the furniture shop owner that he or she could earn commission from the order, the statement noted.
The statement pointed out that after paying the deposit by bank transfer, the furniture shop owner called the school, but was informed by the school that it did not place any orders with a furniture shop. At the same time, the furniture shop owner lost contact with the “school staff member” and the “designated supplier”, so he or she immediately reported the case to the police, the statement added.
The statement did not reveal the genders of the people involved in the case.
The Judiciary Police have received reports about several cases of fraudulent orders of foodstuff or goods, the statement said, adding that some restaurants have suffered financial losses from similar fraud cases.
The Judiciary Police again urged the public, especially business operators, to stay vigilant. The statement underlined that business operators should verify the authenticity of the people ordering large amounts of foodstuff or goods, and be “doubly cautious”, especially concerning the transfer of money, in order to prevent outlaws from defrauding residents.
The statement noted that if fraud or other kinds of crimes are suspected, residents should call the Judiciary Police’s Anti-scam Hotline 8800 7777 or the Crime Report Hotline 993 for help.
This poster provided by the Judiciary Police yesterday warns the public to be wary of goods order scams.
