of Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) jointly issued a warning about a surge in government impersonation scams.
At least 100 cases were reported in September 2024 alone, with losses exceeding S$6.7 million.
These scams involve scammers posing as bank employees from major banks such as DBS, OCBC, UOB and Standard Chartered to trick victims.
This scam typically begins with suspicious activity or an unsolicited phone call requesting a new credit card issued in the victim’s name.
If the victim denies involvement, the call is transferred to another scammer pretending to be a government official, sometimes featuring fake uniforms, badges, and agency logos on the video call.
These scammers may also use messaging apps such as WhatsApp and provide forged warrant cards or official documents to appear legitimate.
Victims are then accused of crimes such as money laundering and pressured to transfer funds to so-called “safety accounts” for investigation purposes.
Many victims only realize they have been scammed when the scammer disappears or when they try to check the situation with authorities.
SPF and MAS are urging people to take precautions such as blocking international calls, enabling two-factor authentication and using the ‘money lock’ feature to secure some of their savings.
Also, ScamShield Helpline (1799), Website.
Please note that the police will never ask you to give or receive money during an investigation.
Individuals are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or online. www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.
Featured image credit: Edited from freepic
