New 'marketing survey' WhatsApp scam surfaces in Singapore

SINGAPORE — A new scam variation in the form of marketing surveys for platforms like Shopee has surfaced on WhatsApp.

According to Must Share News, the new scam was first spotted online on Wednesday (3 May). Instead of seeking out identification or banking information, the scam would invite the victim to participate in a supposedly harmless marketing survey.

Monetary incentives would be offered to the potential victims upon completing the survey.

Contents of the scam text message

Mobile phone users would typically receive a text message from a number originating from the United States or Canada with a +1 dialling code.

The scammer would claim to be from “Shopee’s marketing department” and would allegedly be conducting a market research review to improve the e-commerce platform's shopping experience.

This would be followed by survey questions to extract information such as the victim’s frequency of purchases on Shopee, product categories of recent purchase, the victim’s nationality and age range.

A Shopee spokesperson told Yahoo Southeast Asia that the e-commerce platform is aware and would like to warn everyone of this new scam. Shopee also advises the public not to click on any links or respond to the new scam messages.

"We urge users to stay vigilant and not trust unofficial sources claiming to be Shopee. Please refer to our official channels, such as the Shopee App or verified social media accounts for official announcements from Shopee," the spokesperson said.

Users may visit Shopee's Help Centre Page for instructions and regular updates through their scam advisory.

Should urgent assistance be required, users can contact the Customer Service hotline at 6206-6610.

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