Man charged over iPhone 7 online deposit scam on Carousell
Apple's new iPhone 7 smartphones in an Apple store. Photo: Reuters
SINGAPORE — A 30-year-old man was charged with 14 counts of cheating and lying to the police on Friday (Sept 23), after he was arrested for duping victims into paying him a “deposit” for new sets of the Apple iPhone 7 Plus.
Through online marketplace Carousell, Cai Jiaxiang allegedly offered online buyers the new mobile phone with a catch — they would have to reserve a set by paying a deposit first. He scammed 12 victims a total of S$9,640 between Sept 11 and 16 this year. One victim was cheated of S$4,610 — supposedly for the purchase of three mobile phones.
Banding together online, the irate buyers made police reports after realising that they had been duped. On an online forum, the victims shared that Cai would reassure the buyers by providing them with his identification card and driving licence. But once the money traded hands, he would stop responding to the buyers.
Besides the cheating offences, Cai has also been charged with giving false information to the police. He had allegedly lodged a fake police report in relation to the scam on Sept 18, claiming he was collecting pre-orders for the mobile phone for a stranger he met in a karaoke outlet. But after taking 15 pre-orders, the stranger vanished without paying Cai the promised commission of S$150 per sale.
Cai was arrested in Toa Payoh Lorong 1 on Wednesday. No plea was taken as investigations are ongoing.
He remains in remand as he was unable to post bail, set at S$20,000. He will return to court on Oct 11. If convicted of cheating, he may face up to 10 years’ jail and be liable to a fine for each charge.
Scams involving online transactions have been on the rise. Some of the items involved in recent scams include admission tickets to local attractions, and concert tickets. Police data revealed that between January and June this year, a total of 1,145 cases of e-commerce cheating were reported, a spike of 13.4 per cent compared with the same period last year.
The police also said that about seven out of 10 reports were made by victims who had used online community marketplaces such as Carousell, Gumtree and Facebook.
Interviewed by TODAY, one of Cai’s victims said he had seen a listing for a jet-black iPhone 7 Plus for sale at S$1,460 and contacted him, but felt uncomfortable when he was asked to put down a deposit of S$200.
“He said he needed money for mobile phone bills. I hesitated for a while and called him to see what he’s like. He sounded quite okay,” said the 32-year-old production manager, who wanted to be known only as Jeff.
Jeff had asked for a copy of his identification card and driving licence, and Cai sent them over instantly. He felt more assured, presuming that a scammer would not share such identification, and sent the money over.
They chatted frequently about the transaction, and arranged for collection at Bugis Junction on Sept 16. On that morning, Cai became uncontactable. “When I called him, the mobile phone was turned off. That was when I realised it was serious,’ said Jeff.
He added that it was a relief that Cai had been caught. While he hoped to get his money back, he added: “I’ll treat it as a lesson learnt.”
