Cyber crime is a very real thing, and if you haven’t kena it before, it’s either you’re really lucky or savvy.

Singaporeans, by nature, are a very cautious lot but there will still be times where we’ll still be scammed.

So by now, you’d have thought people will be more cautious when dealing with online transactions.

Nope.

There’s a new scam in town and it has claimed 40 victims. 

SPF Warns About New PayPal Scam

On 13 June 2017, Channelnewsasia reported that more than 40 victims were cheated out of their money by a new scam in town, according to the police.

They added that since January this year, the victims have lost a total of almost $43,000. 

How did they get scammed?

The victims typically put items up for sale online and were contacted by the scammers acting as buyers. 

Then, they’ll send fake emails from PayPal or other reputable banks to fool the victims into believing that they’re paid.

The victims were told to ship the item overseas and show the proof of shipment before money is released into their account.

And they never did receive the money.

That’s not all, there’s a second version too

To top it off, there’s a second version of the scam as well, especially for those who posted their own homes for rent online.

Victims are asked to make fake administrative payments such as activation of PayPal accounts in order to receive their payments. 

SPF Guidelines To Not Get Tricked By The New Scam

Log in to PayPal to verify payment

Even if the email looks legit, it’s always better to play safe. Log in to your PayPal account to verify that payment is made.

Don’t Download Anything

This is common sense but it still needs to be said: don’t download anything from unverified emails. That’s like keeping your front door open and leaving the house for work.

Don’t Give Out Any Personal Info

Do not give out any personal details like credit or debit card details, bank or email account details. That’s like begging to be hacked.

If PayPal wants that info, it’ll ask you to log in

PayPal will send a request to log in safely to your account if it wants any personal info. I’d assume that it’s better to manually go to the PayPal website to log in (i.e. input PayPal’s web address from your browser and log in) instead of clicking on the link which may bring you to a phishing site.

Know anything about the new scam?

The Singapore Police Force is inviting you to provide any information about the new scam via their hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit it online.

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Feature Image: channelnewsasia.com

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com