ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – A 32-year-old man in Singapore was arrested for suspected involvement in a series of camera rental scams, causing victims to lose at least SGD50,000.
Between September and November, police received multiple reports from victims who had loaned digital cameras and accessories to the man. According to the police, he became uncontactable after the rental periods ended, the police said in a statement yesterday.
Following investigations, officers from the Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio Police Divisions identified and arrested the suspect on Tuesday.
The man will be charged in court with the offence of cheating. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine.
“The police take a serious view against any person who commits fraud, and the perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law,” said the police.
On September 17, the police had arrested a 21-year-old man for cheating after two victims of a similar camera rental equipment scam had laid out a trap to catch a man they suspected of cheating them.
The two victims informed the police of the trap after they had set it up, leading to the suspect’s arrest at Swissotel The Stamford. Police said then that investigations were ongoing.
Even after that arrest, however, members of the camera rental community reported similar scams, which made them believe the man arrested was not the only perpetrator of the scam, and that others also behind it are still at large.
In mid-year scam and cyber-crime statistics released on August 22 by the police, scam victims lost a record amount of more than SGD385.6 million in the first six months of 2024.
