The Singapore Police are warning the public about scam advertisements appearing on Google search results with fake bank hotlines.
The fake numbers will appear when users search for the contact numbers of the banks.
At least 15 people have fallen for the scams and at least $405,000 have been lost.
The victims searched for the banks’ contact numbers and came across the fake contact numbers in the first few search results on Google search.
They then called the fake number and spoke to the scammer who was impersonating the bank staff.
The victims would then be informed by the scammers that there were issues with their bank account, cards or loans after sharing the reasons for contacting the bank.
They would then be told to temporarily transfer the money to bank accounts to “resolve” the issue or to make payments for outstanding loans.
In some cases, they would receive a spoofed SMS from the bank by the scammers.
The police advised the public to always verify information with numbers listed on the official bank website.
They can also verify the numbers by checking behind the cards issued by the banks, and never transfer money into bank accounts of strangers.
Never disclose personal information, banking details of OTPs to anyone and any transactions that are fraudulent should be reported to the bank immediately.
