For his niece’s 16th birthday last year, social worker Mark Fernandez, 37, wanted to fulfil her wish for a new laptop.
 
But the price tag made him hesitate. The laptop she wanted would set him back nearly $1,400 at retail stores. 

The savvy shopper decided to browse through online consumer marketplace Carousell for a more affordable option. “I was taking a risk,” Mr Fernandez admits, aware of the rise in e-commerce scams.

He was not sorry – because he played it safe.

To his delight, Mr Fernandez found a listing for the desired laptop – brand new and boxed – at $400 cheaper than retail price.  

Being cautious, he checked that the seller’s profile had a verified badge and carefully scrutinised reviews of the seller’s past transactions.

Carousell users who complete all three required verification methods (via Singpass, mobile number and email) will have a blue verified badge beside their usernames.

Mr Fernandez also opted to pay cash on delivery for the device. 

The next day, he met the seller to collect the laptop, and transferred the amount via PayNow upon checking that the item was in good condition.

Proud of the practical gift that he secured at a good deal, Mr Fernandez shares that his niece was overjoyed to receive the laptop. “A year later, she's still using it without any issues.”

Check before you check out

The precautions that Mr Fernandez took are among the “best practices” recommended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for online transactions.

These include verifying seller profiles and transacting in person.

MHA is part of the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams, which published the 2024 edition of E-commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings (TSR) last month.

“The public is encouraged to refer to the TSR for information on the availability of safety features on e-commerce marketplaces, and what they should take note of when transacting online,” says Police Superintendent Matthew Choo, assistant director of the Scam Public Education Office, SPF.

They should also exercise greater caution when transacting on marketplaces without the recommended measures in place. Specifically, shoppers should “only transact with sellers whose identities have been verified by the marketplaces against government-issued documentation, such as NRIC or unique entity number (UEN)”.

They should also use secure payment options when making online purchases, Superintendent Choo adds. 

For example, e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada use escrow payment methods, where money is released to sellers only after a specified period or after buyers confirm receiving their orders.

New wave of phishing scams

SPF also flags a recent uptick in e-commerce phishing scams involving social media advertisements. 

There have been 104 victims who lost at least $63,000 to such scams since January. 

Victims would be attracted by deals via ads on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 

When they click on the ads, they are led to phishing websites that prompt them to key in credit and debit card details or one-time passwords to “purchase” the goods. 

Victims would realise that they had been scammed when they discover unauthorised transactions (different from their intended purchases) being charged to their cards.

This is part of a series titled "Act against scams", in partnership with the Singapore Police Force.