SINGAPORE – A phishing scam variant where scammers would pose as buyers on Carousell and send out fake CarouPay transactions has re-emerged, the police warned on Friday (May 5).
Scammers will approach victims on Carousell and express interest in purchasing their items, and then request to pay via CarouPay to the victim’s PayNow account.
The victims then receive an email purportedly from Carousell instructing them to access their bank account via a phishing link or PayNow QR code in order to receive the payment.
Upon clicking these links or scanning the QR codes, victims would be redirected to fraudulent websites impersonating bank websites, and tricked into providing their banking details and one-time password (OTP) in order to receive payments.
They would only realise they have been scammed after noticing unauthorised transactions in their bank accounts, police said.
Since March this year, there have been at least 69 victims to this scam, with losses amounting to at least $47,000.
The public are reminded that CarouPay, or now known as Carousell Protection, will never require them to confirm payment via email or require them to reveal any online banking login credentials through third party websites.
Those on e-commerce sites like Carousell should always verify the buyer’s profile on online marketplaces by checking the account verification status, creation date, reviews and ratings, the police said.
The public should not click on links provided in unsolicited emails…
