SINGAPORE, June 13 – If you sell things online, be aware of online scammers who send emails in the names of Paypal or other reputable banks, said the police in an advisory this morning.

There have been more than 40 reports of online sellers falling prey to these scammers posing as interested buyers since the beginning of the year, the police added.

The culprits' modus operandi often involved sending fake emails in the name of PayPal, or a reputable bank, to mislead victims into thinking that a payment has been made. 

They would then request for the items to be shipped overseas. The victims were told to show proof of shipment before they could receive payment.

In some cases, the victims were duped into making fake administrative payments, such as the "activation of PayPal accounts" in order to receive payment, according to the police. 

The authorities urged members of the public to take the following precautions:

• Always verify that a payment has been made to your Paypal account before sending out the item.
• Never download attachments or software programmes attached to emails when dealing with seemingly interested buyers, as they may be malicious programmes that could leave your computer vulnerable to being hacked.
• Never give out personal or banking details.

If Paypal needs your information, they will request you to log in to your account before you provide that information. — TODAY