Singapore Police are warning the public about a growing scam involving local-looking phone numbers that begin with the digit “3”, with at least 12 victims losing a combined S$274,000 since May 2026.
The latest scam variant sees fraudsters posing as bank staff, telecom companies and eventually government officials, convincing victims they are involved in criminal investigations before pressuring them to hand over money and valuables.
Calls appear to come from local numbers
According to the Singapore Police Force, victims first receive unsolicited calls from unknown eight-digit numbers starting with the digit “3”.
The scammers pretend to be representatives from banks, financial institutions or telecommunication companies, claiming that:
- Suspicious transactions have been detected on the victim’s credit card.
- Their insurance policy is being misused.
- Someone has used their identity to sign up for a mobile phone contract.
Victims are then transferred to another scammer impersonating officials from the Ministry of Law (MinLaw), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) or the Singapore Police Force (SPF).
The fake officials accuse victims of offences such as money laundering and claim investigations are underway.
Victims told to transfer money and hand over valuables
To supposedly assist with investigations, victims are instructed to:
- Transfer money into a so-called “safe account”.
- Deposit cash via ATMs.
- Withdraw their savings.
- Declare valuables such as jewellery, luxury watches or gold.
- Meet unknown individuals to hand over their valuables.
Victims typically only realise they have been scammed after the fraudsters become uncontactable or after checking with the relevant authorities.
Government officials will never make these requests
The Police stressed that genuine Singapore government agencies will never:
- Ask you to transfer money or hand over cash, gold, luxury watches or cryptocurrency.
- Tell you to take loans from licensed moneylenders.
- Request your internet banking login credentials or PIN.
- Ask you to install apps from unofficial app stores.
- Transfer your call to the Police or another government agency.
How to protect yourself
The Police urge members of the public to remember these three steps:
ADD
- Install the ScamShield app.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) and banking security features such as transaction limits.
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- Verify suspicious phone numbers, messages and website links using the ScamShield app or official channels.
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- Inform your bank immediately if you suspect fraudulent transactions.
- Alert your family and friends so they do not fall victim to similar scams.
Anyone unsure whether a call is genuine can contact the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 for assistance.