SINGAPORE: Victims of a private hire car promotional package scam lost at least S$7,700, according to the police on Wednesday (Feb 22).
In a Facebook post, police said they have received at least nine reports regarding the “Grab/Uber promotional packages” scam since last week.
The victims were introduced to the Grab or Uber promotional packages through friends, who had come across the advertisements by word of mouth. The victims were then asked to contact the seller via WhatsApp and instructed to transfer money to bank accounts to purchase the said packages.
However, after making payment, the victims were not able to redeem the rides, and the seller became uncontactable.
Channel NewsAsia understands that those who purchased the packages were promised discounted pre-paid rides, and were told to book rides via WhatsApp instead of the official apps.
Screenshot of a message sent to victims of the scam.
Police advised members of the public to only purchase rides from official sources, and to always exercise caution when purchasing items at prices that sound too good to be true.
“When in doubt, please call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722 6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg,” police said.
They also urged those with information about the crime to call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit information online.
GRAB WILL ASSIST AUTHORITIES WITH INVESTIGATIONS
In response to media queries, Grab said it would assist authorities in their investigations. It also advised all passengers to refer to official Grab sources for promotional information, such as the Grab Singapore Facebook page, in-app notifications and emails sent from a Grab domain.
“When in doubt, passengers can contact our Grab Customer Support Centre at (65) 6570 3925 or support.sg@grab.com,” Grab said.
