The Judiciary Police (PJ) warned yesterday of a recent surge of fake ads on social media, urging members of the public in a statement to be vigilant against online shopping scams.
According to the statement, the Judiciary Police have found multiple fraudulent Facebook pages posing as local department stores, gaming operators and watch retailers, claiming to hold promotional campaigns that offer limited edition designer handbags and luxury watches at knockdown prices.
These fake pages, the statement added, use sponsored advertisements to push their posts to Facebook users to lure them into clicking ads and placing orders.
The statement pointed out that the authenticity of the products is questionable as the prices are “far below market value”, while there is a risk of personal information being extracted for illicit purposes.
The statement said that as scammers may use fake accounts to purchase ads and commit fraud, the Judiciary Police’s Information Technology Crimes Division Anti-Fraud Coordination Centre urged members of the public to scrutinise carefully sponsored advertisements.
Moreover, the centre also emphasised that one should be wary of deals that “seem too good to be true” and to use the PJ’s Anti-Fraud Programme to check the risk index, or report information when in doubt, the statement said.
One can also call the anti-fraud enquiry hotline on 8800 7777 or the crime report hotline on 993 for assistance.
This poster provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday cautions members of the public against online shopping scams.
