Man arrested for cheating Pokemon card collectors of more than $176,000

An alleged Pokemon trading card scammer didn't manage to "catch 'em all" — he got caught instead.

A 28-year-old man was arrested for his suspected involvement in an e-commerce scam involving the sale of Pokemon trading cards.

The police said they received reports from victims who were allegedly cheated by an online seller selling Pokemon trading cards at discounted prices. After victims made payments via bank transfers, the seller became uncontactable.

Officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division identified the man and arrested him on Jan 5. Preliminary police investigations revealed that the man is believed to have cheated more than 15 victims of over $176,000 in total.

Police investigations are ongoing. If found guilty of cheating, he may face an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.

When shopping online, members of the public are also advised to be wary of scams and frauds, and to opt for buyer protection by using in-built payment options that only release payment to the seller upon delivery and to avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the seller wherever possible.

For more information on scams, visit scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.