The Police would like to alert members of the public to a persistent phishing scam variant involving fake buyers on online marketplace platforms. Since April 2024, at least 594 victims have fallen prey, with total losses amounting to at least $1.3million.

In this variant, scammers would pose as interested “buyers” on Carousell, Facebook Marketplace or other platforms. After agreeing on the selling price of the listed items via the platforms’ in-app chat functions, the scammers would impersonate the relevant online marketplace platforms or delivery companies and inform victims that the money was transferred. Thereafter, scammers would send a phishing link or QR code to the victims, purportedly for the victim to receive payment for the sale of the item, to schedule a delivery, or to complete the transaction.