Victims Lost About S$34,000 to Fake Travel Agent Website Scams

Victims of fake travel agent websites lost about S$34,000 this year, according to a press release from the Singapore Police Force on July 5.

Thirty-five people have been scammed involving “non-delivery of travel-related services, which includes visa applications, arrival card applications, and flight bookings made through fake travel agent websites.”

These fake websites trick victims into filling up their personal data including payment card details and will automatically send various emails to victims, prompting them to complete more necessary information regarding the travel services they need. Once the victims complete typing in their personal data, the payment transactions will push through, but no application or request will be processed.

The Singapore Police Force advised the public to be more vigilant and follow these precautionary measures: 

• Check with official sources such as the Singapore Tourism Board(www.stb.gov.sg) and the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (www.natas.travel) if the vendor is an accredited travel agent.
• Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources. Buying cheap tickets from resellers is risky — if the price is too good to be true, it probably is; and
• Refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s website (https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Where-Are-You-Travelling-To) to ensure that you are using the correct website for your applications to travel out of Singapore.
• Refer to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority’s website (https://www.ica.gov.sg/enter-depart) for entry requirements into Singapore.
• Report any fraudulent credit or debit card charges to your bank and cancel your card immediately

To report fraud and financial crimes, call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All identity is guaranteed confidential when reporting crimes. For urgent police assistance, dial 999.

For more information on scams, visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline on 1800-722-6688.