Free Brompton bike? Online scams lure victims with giveaways of high-ticket items

A number of Freecycling groups have sprouted up on Facebook in recent years, primarily for members to give away or exchange unwanted or preloved items.

However, scammers have been taking advantage of these groups to scam money from unsuspecting members.

Over the past two weeks, some members of a Facebook group called Free Your Stuff Singapore claim they have fallen prey to these scams. 

The scammers claimed that they are giving away high-ticket items such as Dyson hairdryers or Brompton foldable bicycles for free. Interested parties then paid $15 to $30 for delivery or to reserve the item before they picked up the item it at a home address.

But when they showed up at the addresses, they were told by the confused home owners that they never posted anything to give away. This was when they realised they had been tricked and that the addresses provided in the Facebook posts were random.

Free Brompton bikes up for grabs?

One 54-year-old victim, who gave his name as Xu, told Shin Min Daily News that he had paid $30 via PayNow on March 1 for a Brompton bicycle that was to be delivered to his home the same evening. The item never arrived.

The price for a Brompton bike starts from around $2,900 from authorised sellers and resellers. 

One Facebook user, Mary Mateo, warned against such scammers in the Free your Stuff Singapore group on March 3. Her post included a screenshot of another post made in the same group.

In that post, a Brompton P Line bicycle worth over $4,000 was up for grabs for free and whoever wants it can either pay $30 for delivery or self-collect from a unit at Block 531, Hougang Avenue 6.

When Mateo contacted the number provided in the post and opted for self-collection, she was told to pay $15 to reserve the bicycle.

Suspicious, she said she was no longer interested and accused the person of being a scammer.

Mateo's post attracted comments from several Facebook users, some of whom said they had the same experience.

Frustrated residents

It has also been a frustrating experience for the residents of the addresses listed in the scam posts as they have had to deal with a stream of strangers showing up at their door.

Two other addresses - one in Yishun and another in Bedok - had been used by the scammers as "collection points" in their posts, reported Shin Min.

Home owner Guo, 55, who lives at Block 556 Bedok North Street 3, told the Chinese newspaper that more than 10 people appeared at his door on March 5, asking to pick up a foldable bicycle.

"I felt something was wrong and called the police that night. Those who came to pick up the goods also showed me the post. I tried to contact the number but couldn't get through," he said.

Similarly, a 62-year-old tenant at the Hougang flat, who gave his name as Chen, told Shin Min that more than 30 people have turned up since March 2.

"A lot of people came from 9pm to 11pm that night. I notified the owner of the house and called the police the next day," said the travel agent, who has been living there for five years.

Both Chen and Guo have put up notes - in English and Chinese - outside their flats to inform any other potential visitors about the situation.

Freecycling scams on the rise

In an advisory released in September 2023, the police said there has been a resurgence in freecycling scams, where victims were lured by giveaways or sale of second-hand items  posted on online platforms such as Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp.

The items included bicycles and large appliances such as washing machines or refrigerators.

Since May 2023, at least 360 victims have fallen prey and lost at least $43,000.

According to the mid-year scam statistics for 2023 released on March 6 this year, the number of scam victims in Singapore rose in the first half of the year, reported The Straits Times.

There were 22,339 cases logged, a 64.5 per cent spike from the 13,576 cases during the same period in 2022. 

But the total amount that victims lost in the first half of 2023 dropped slightly to $334.5 million, from $342.1 million during the same period in 2022. 

The police advise members of the public to adopt precautionary measures to avoid being scammed.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com