A couple have fallen for an online scam about luxury handbags, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said in a regular press briefing on Monday.
According to Leng, earlier this month the wife browsed a Japanese proxy shopping website that advertised luxury bags at half the regular price. Intrigued by the discounted price, she decided to purchase a handbag priced at 750,000 yen (41,600 patacas), after which the “customer service” instructed the victim to transfer around S$7,000 (41,620 patacas) to a designated Singaporean bank account.
The wife later asked her husband to make the transfer. During the process, the husband questioned why they had to make payment to a Singaporean account for a Japanese product. The scammer alleged that it was for tax avoidance.
After the husband transferred the money, he grew suspicious of the website and demanded a refund. They lost contact with the “customer service” and subsequently reported the case to the police.
