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Best practices:

• Never share personal details such as your OTP, password or ShopeePay PIN
• Never scan QR codes, open suspicious links or download attachments from messages, even if they are sent within the Shopee App
• Scan your device for malware
• Do not respond to messages that are not sent via official channels, such as email, using our @shopee.com domain or verified social media account
• Do not trust sellers who direct you to transact outside of Shopee
• Look for signs that you’ve landed on a fraudulent website, which includes misspelled words and typos
• Change your passwords, notify your bank of potential fraud and look out for unexpected charges on your credit card if you have entered sensitive information on a fraudulent website

Common scams to look out for 

• QR scam

What is it: In this scam, you will be contacted by a “Shopee Seller” privately asking you to make payment for your orders outside of Shopee App.

How it works: This happens after you have placed an order on Shopee App. The seller will then reach out to you via Shopee chat and offer you a “special promotion price”. The seller will subsequently cancel your order and you are required to place a new order.

Following this, the seller will reach out to you outside of the Shopee App (typically through WhatsApp) to send a “ShopeePay QR code” for the “special promotion price”, as well as a set of instructions on how to make the payment.

Once you have paid via the QR code, the seller will disappear and your order will never be fulfilled.

How you can avoid it: Do not fall for the seller’s trick, in which they offer something at a cheaper price via QR payment or outside of Shopee App. Also, do not transact outside of Shopee App and ensure all payments are made within Shopee App. If you are asked to make a transaction outside of Shopee App, please do not hesitate to report the seller to Shopee.

• Parcel Scams

What is it: In this scam, you are asked to make additional payments for delivery due to issues such as parcel weight exceeded, etc. 

How it works: Scammers text you on Shopee App claiming there is a mistake in the calculation of your parcel’s dimensions and weight. You will be required to pay the higher shipping fee outside the Shopee platform. 

To make it seem more legitimate, some scammers might also include your name and the original item purchased; and inform you that the shipping fee paid at the time of purchase will be refunded within 24 hours after the higher shipping fee has been paid. 

After receiving the payment, the scammer signs off and disappears from the conversation. 

How you can avoid it: Remember that genuine sellers will never ask you to make payments outside Shopee App. If something seems suspicious or when in doubt, contact Shopee Customer Service immediately.

• Lucky Draw Scams

What is it: You are informed you have won a prize and are required to share certain personal and financial information to claim the prize. 

How it works: In lucky draw scams, scammers approach the victim and claim they won a Shopee Contest. To claim the prize, the victim would be asked to provide a one-time password (OTP) / verification code, contact number and other personal information including credit card details. The OTP will then be used to authorize credit/debit card transactions on Shopee.

How you can avoid it: Shopee takes user security and data privacy very seriously. We would never ask you for your personal information. You should also verify the identity of the person contacting you and monitor transactions on your credit/debit card. Furthermore, all announcements pertaining to Shopee campaigns and prizes will only be through official Shopee channels. 

• Part-time Job Scams

What is it: Text messages sent to you from unknown numbers through communication apps or social media, typically via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram ad or private message. You will be asked if you are interested in working with Shopee, or are being informed that you have been selected by Shopee to work online to earn an extra income. The catch? You have to pay first in order to get paid or earn more commission.

How it works: Part-time online jobs promise easy money - 

First Variant - This involves the liking or commenting on accounts and/or posts. Upon completion of the “tasks”, you would receive a small commission. After you were convinced that you could earn more commission, the scammers would introduce more “rewarding tasks” by asking you to transfer money to an account. You would only realise that you had been scammed when the account showed a negative account balance and were told to pay additional funds to “upgrade their accounts” or when you were unable to withdraw your “earnings”.
 
Second Variant - All you have to do is make purchases at certain shops and you will be refunded with commission for making those purchases. Initially, you may receive these refunds as a way for the scammer to gain your trust. However, as the value of the purchases increases, you will eventually not receive the refunds.

Here is a first-hand account from a victim on how this scam works.

How you can avoid it: One thing to remember is that Shopee DOES NOT employ any individuals to recruit employees through messaging platforms. Shopee also confirms that there is no such role as “Online Purchasing Agents” in the organisation. Shopee will never request advance payment or deposits as a requirement to work with, or for us. You can add privacy settings on your messaging platforms that disable addition into chatgroups by unknown persons.

1. ADD ScamShield app to protect from scam calls and SMSes. Set security features (e.g., set up transaction limits for internet banking transactions, enable two- or multi-factor authentication for banks and e-wallets). Do not send money to anyone whom you do not know or have not met in person before. Add privacy settings to your messaging platforms to prevent being automatically added to unknown chat groups.
2. CHECK for scam signs with official sources (e.g. ScamShield WhatsApp bot @ https://go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot, call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688, or visit www.scamalert.sg). Always verify the authenticity of job offers through official channels/sources and do not accept dubious job offers that offer lucrative returns for minimal effort. Do not engage or believe claims made in any messaging app group chats that you are randomly added or invited into and do not click on suspicious URLs or download apps from unknown sources.
3. TELL - Authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report the scammers or group chat using the in-app reporting function to WhatsApp and Telegram.

On top of that, always remember that all finance-related activities will strictly be done through Shopee App or official website only.

• Complete Order Scam

What is it: Scammers might claim that you can earn a profit if you transfer them money for them to invest for you; or release payment early for them to resell the products you purchased.

How it works: Scammers may try to convince you to select Order Received before you actually receive your items. When you do so, your payment for that order is released to the scammer. In other words, the scammer gets your money and you may never receive your items. 

How you can avoid it: Do not trust sellers who try to convince you to select Order Received before you receive your items. Do not engage in other types of transactions (other than buying) on Shopee, such as a resale transaction.

• Impersonation Scam

What is it: Scammers pretend to be either official personnel of organizations (e.g. SingPost) or Shopee employees in order to cheat money out of unsuspecting victims. 

How it works in different scenarios: 

#1: There have been reports of individuals receiving calls, emails, and text messages from fraudsters impersonating SingPost. These scammers ask for personal information, such as full name and bank account details, and request monetary transfers for parcel release.

#2: Victims receive messages from individuals posing as Shopee employees to participate in a marketing survey and then offer monetary incentives for completing the survey. Victims who completed the survey would then be offered a higher-paying role as a “Shopee assistant”. 

Victims are instructed to choose a pre-paid "task package", which involves the transfer of money to bank accounts provided by the scammers before starting "work". Initially, they would receive their increased earnings and be convinced to top up their accounts to receive additional earnings. Eventually, victims will not be able to withdraw their earnings. 

How you can avoid it: Note that if SingPost is unable to deliver a parcel to you, you will receive a physical Non-Delivery Advice to collect the item from a Post Office or POPStation.

Similar to the part-time job scam, Shopee will never request advance payment or deposits as a requirement to work with, or for us. Please stay vigilant and do not trust unofficial sources claiming to be Shopee.

In all of the above examples, the scammers may get you to do one of the following:

• Share your OTP/account password/ShopeePay PIN 
• Share your personal data such as your date of birth which customer service agents may use to verify a buyer's identity
• Make payment to a number they provide
• Click on any link that will redirect you to a third-party page
• Urgently asks you to transfer money or release payment to them

You should always ignore or report such cases as Shopee will never ask for these details via unofficial platforms. Furthermore, Shopee will never ask for your passwords and PINs.

Shopee will only contact you via official channels, such as the Shopee App, our verified social media accounts, or email addresses that end with @shopee.com. 

What steps should you take if you believe you've been a target?

If you have been the victim of a scam, please reach out to Shopee Customer Service at 6206 6610 for further assistance. Alternatively, you can chat with our live agents by following these steps: Go to the Me tab > Chat with Shopee > select Chat with Live Agent.

If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please also reach out to the authorities via the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit your queries online. Please take note that all information will be kept strictly confidential.

If you need advice, you can call the National Crime Prevention Council Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit their website for more information.

For more information on various types of scams and how to avoid falling victim, please visit the links below:

• How do I deal safely on Shopee? / How do I avoid scams? - Follow these guidelines to avoid scams that trick you into providing personal information
• National Crime Prevention Council’s Scam Alert - Read about the latest scam information
• Scam Buster Bank Quiz - Learn how to guard against scams through a quiz
• Better Cyber Safe Than Sorry - Learn about the cybersecurity awareness campaign by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore 
• Cybersecurity Outreach - Learn about unseen threats and phishing scams through these games
• Scam SMS and calls - Did you know that all organizations that send SMS are required to register with the Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry?
• ScamShield Bot - Check and report scams on WhatsApp
• ScamShield App - This app blocks incoming calls from scammers
• Scams Bulletin - The Singapore Police Force has a weekly bulletin put out in the 4 official languages providing bite-sized information on trending scams