1,200 CASES OF PHISHING SCAMS SINCE DECEMBER 2021

According to the Police media release there have been at least 1,200 cases of phishing scams since December 2021.

Who they pretend ?

The Police said that they would like to alert members of the public on the following scams:

The victims would typically get contacted via phone calls from Whatsapp, Viber etc. The scammer would claim that they are officials from the government such as the Ministry of Health or even the Singapore Police Force.

The scammers even go all out to show fake badges or documents of the government institutions.

The worse one would be those that video call with fake police uniforms.

How they scam?

In the phone call, the scammers would ask for their personal information such as banking credentials, one time passwords to “aid” their investigations.

After obtaining the personal information of the victims, the scammers would use it to apply for multiple E-wallets such as PayLah, Singtel Dash, and Grabpay.

They would then instruct their victims to top up the E-wallets or link it to their bank account before transferring the money away.

By the time the victim received notifications that there was a transaction, the scammers are long gone with the money.

How to prevent?

Here is what the Police advised:

1. Ignore the instructions. No government agency will obtain personal information through a telephone call;
   
2. Never disclose your personal or Internet banking details, including NRIC, NRIC issue date and OTP to anyone;
   
3. Always verify the authenticity of the information by contacting the relevant government agencies through their official hotline; and
   
4. Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.

If you have information related to such crimes, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. 

If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.

Image Source: Singapore Police Force