According to the Police media release, the scammers are using a “fresh” method to cheat victims which includes calling with a Singapore country code, using an image of a fake letter with the Singapore Police Force letterhead and telling victims that they are under investigations.
In these situations, the victims would get unsolicited phone calls from people claiming to be bank employees. The victims would be notified that their bank accounts had been compromised and that they were being investigated for money laundering.
Photo of fake letter
Under the guise of checking the victims’ bank accounts, the caller would obtain the victims’ bank account login information as well as their One-Time Password (OTP). Following that, the caller would transfer the call to someone claiming to be from the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) in order to expedite the filing of police complaints.
Following that, the bogus CAD officer would interact with the victims over WhatsApp. He would ask the victims for their personal information, including pictures and identity documents, stating that such information was necessary by law.
The real police will not demand for personal details
In the media release, the Police said:
The Police would like to emphasise that no local government agency will demand for your personal details, such as NRIC and photograph, through an undocumented medium like a telephone call or other social messaging platforms.