Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam Issues Warning Against Instagram Scam Account
In the age of digital communication, the internet has become a breeding ground for various fraudulent activities. Recently, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam took to social media to warn the public about a scam account on Instagram impersonating him. The minister’s announcement, made on Dec. 22 through a Facebook post and later reposted on his Instagram page, shed light on the deceptive account under the username @kshanmugam__private_page.
Shanmugam revealed that the fraudulent account had been actively impersonating him, attempting to connect with unsuspecting followers. The alert came after someone informed the minister about the malicious activity. As of Dec. 24, Instagram has taken down the account, but Shanmugam urged the public to ignore any messages from this account, emphasizing the importance of staying safe online.
K Shanmugam posted on Facebook:
[Scam Account Impersonating Me]
Have been informed that there is a scam account on Instagram that is impersonating me to connect with followers.
This scam account is under the following name:
@kshanmugam__private_page
If you receive any notifications from this scam account, please ignore it and report the account.
Remember to stay safe, and always double check online sources.
Advice to the Public
In his post, Minister Shanmugam advised individuals who might have received notifications from the scam account to ignore them and promptly report the account to the respective platform. His key message resonates with the broader issue of online safety and the necessity to double-check the authenticity of online sources.
“Quite a few residents have informed me of various fake accounts on Instagram (@kshanmugam_) and Facebook impersonating me. Some of my parliamentary colleagues have also had similar issues. Maintaining one account per social media platform already requires time and effort. I can’t imagine how anyone could handle multiple accounts, much less fake ones. On a serious note, stay vigilant and never give out bank account numbers or personal information to anyone you don’t know.”