Youth rents cameras and allegedly sells them
Mr Chen listed on Carousell his Sony SLR camera and lens for rent. The gadget cost him about $5,000.
On Sept 13, he was approached by an interested party who claimed that he wanted to use the camera to take photos of his family at a car race in Kuala Lumpur.
"I checked online and found that there was indeed such a race," Mr Chen told Shin Min Daily News.
The 31-year-old added that he didn't suspect anything amiss and handed over his camera to the man at Stadium MRT station.
"He showed me his identification card but he said he was in a hurry, so I didn't verify his identity carefully," recounted Mr Chen.
"He paid a deposit of $700."
Both parties agreed that the man would return the camera to Mr Chen on Sept 16.
However, when Mr Chen contacted the man that day, he made excuses for not being able to return the camera. The man also blocked Mr Chen's phone number and deleted his Carousell account.
One of Mr Chen's past customers alerted him to a post selling what looked like his camera.
"My camera is a Sony, but I put a Canon lens cap on it so it's easy to identify," said Mr Chen, who also verified the serial number on the camera on sale.
He shared his experience online and two rental shops said they were similarly hit.
The two shop owners set up a trap for the man, pretending to be an interested buyer for a camera, and alerted the police.
The police confirmed they received a call for help at around 6pm on Sept 17. A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fraud and the case is under investigation.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now