SINGAPORE – At least $160,000 has been lost to lucky draw and e-commerce scams conducted via social media live streaming since August, the police said on Oct 18.
There were at least 30 reported lucky draw scams and 13 e-commerce scams carried out on platforms such as Facebook Live.
In the lucky draw scams, victims bought scratch cards that offered a chance to win cash prizes, after they came across Facebook Live streams promoting these cards.
They were then asked to transfer more money to improve their chances of winning or increase the cash prize amount, or told they could make deferred payments.
When victims believed they had won, scammers demanded further transfers – often under the pretence of administrative fees or processing costs – to claim their winnings.
In the e-commerce scams, victims encountered Facebook Live streams promoting “gold mine bags” – bags that, according to the scammers, could potentially contain gold.
