SINGAPORE – If you see an advertisement of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Facebook selling products such as cryptocurrency, do not believe it.
Mr Wong on March 7 warned the public against scams using deepfakes or his images to sell products or services online.
These offerings could include cryptocurrency, money-making schemes or permanent resident application services.
“Some of you have written in to report them, and I have also seen them on my feed,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
He urged members of the public to stay vigilant online, and avoid responding to these ruses or giving their personal information. They may also report the scams via ScamShield.
Those who have fallen victim to them can lodge a police report, he added.
The Government previously alerted the public to a fraudulent website containing a spoofed article about Mr Wong, with claims about an investment programme for early retirement.
Fake news articles – misusing the branding of The Straits Times and other news outlets, as well as prominent figures – have also emerged online.
In 2024, victims in Singapore lost about $1.1 billion to scams – a record high amount of losses suffered in a single year.
Nearly a quarter of this involved cryptocurrency, the police said in its annual scam figures released on Feb 25.
The police also saw the highest number of scam reports ever in 2024, with 51,501 cases recorded, an increase from the 46,563 cases reported the previous year.
Join ST’s WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.