'Hard to just get over it': Woman left with $60 in account after 'Carousell' phishing scam opens up about her ordeal

A woman says she was left with $60 in her bank account after attempting to sell her washing machine on online marketplace Carousell - only to have her account drained after responding to a fake email.

TikTok user @zannaboo posted a video on her account on Oct 23, giving an account of how she was scammed.

Fake setup drained her bank account

In response to The New Paper, she explained that when she first listed the washing machine, she received a message from a potential buyer who said he was overseas and gave her his wife's contact number, asking her to continue the conversation on WhatsApp.

She said it took place on Oct 20, and the conversations lasted around 30 minutes.

"Their tone was friendly and trusting," she told TNP.

The supposed wife then sent a fake confirmation email, directing her to a website that appeared official. The site asked for her bank details to set up a so-called CarouPay account - a payment system she was unfamiliar with.

"I truly wasn't aware, as it was my first time attempting to accept payment through that source," she said.

After entering her details, she was guided by a chatbot named "Sophie," who instructed her to click on her digital token and approve the transaction. That was when the first deduction occurred.

The chatbot then demanded she top up her account with at least $1,500 to recover the lost money.

When she refused, "Sophie" suggested borrowing from friends or family. She realised she was being scammed only after the transaction was irreversible.

"I was pretty foolish to trust blindly. It was my own fault for not being vigilant. It's a very expensive lesson for me indeed," she said.

Upon noticing missing funds, she immediately contacted her bank.

The bank informed her that the money could not be recovered and advised her to report the incident to the police.

She told TNP that she had filed an online police report and received a call within two hours.

"They were asking me if I knew where the money went, which was so weird. Why would I go to the police if I already knew? From there, I knew that recovering the money was a lost cause," she said.

The Carousell account linked to the scam was reported but had been deactivated by the time she reached out.

"Carousell did not further reach out to me," she said.

When describing her feelings, she said, "I felt trapped, perspiring so much when I lost the money".

"The thought of losing so much money is still present in my mind. It's really hard to just get over it," she added.

Carousell received 309,000 reports of scams in 2024

In response to TNP's queries, a Carousell spokesperson confirmed that the company is aware of the incident, adding that it has been educating users about emerging scams.

Users have made over 309,000 reports of scams in 2024. "Carousell does not ask sellers to provide bank information when buyers make a payment," the spokesperson stressed.

The platform also highlighted existing safety features like Singpass verification, and Buyer Protection, which withholds payment from the seller until the buyer confirms the item has been received.

Netizens recount similar incidents

The TikTok post has garnered over 53,500 views and 1,600 likes at press time.

Commenters urged the woman to report the scam, calling the fake email a red flag, while others shared that they had also fallen victim to impersonation scams.

"I got scammed for my first Caroupay too and I even sent out the item already. This system really failed us," one netizen said.

Others said they narrowly avoided losing money.

"It happened to me before too, but I was lucky - the bank called to confirm whether the transaction was mine since it was a large amount made overseas," another shared.

"In this day and age, nothing can be trusted," another netizen lamented.

New safeguards to protect potential scam victims

From Oct 15, major retail banks in Singapore have implemented a safeguard to hold withdrawals of more than 50 per cent of an account's balance.

The Protection from Scams Act, which came into effect on July 1, allows the police to issue restriction orders to banks to limit transactions in accounts where customers are suspected to be the targets of scams.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the TikTok user.