SINGAPORE, Feb 7 – At least 50 people have lost a total of S$163,000 since January 2025 in scams involving Pokémon trading cards, Singapore Police Force said today.

Straits Times (ST) reported the police saying that scammers had posed as sellers on platforms such as Carousell and Facebook, luring collectors with listings for rare cards.

Interested buyers were then directed to continue discussions on messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp.

ST said in screenshots shared by police, scammers advertised cards such as the VMAX Climax set for S$1,900 and Surging Sparks for S$1,300. Victims then paid via PayNow or bank transfer, but never received their purchases.

At least 53 such cases have been reported this year, with scammers becoming uncontactable after receiving payments.

Police advised buyers to keep transactions within marketplace platforms and meet sellers in person to inspect items before making payments.