SINGAPORE – Received a call from an unknown number beginning with the digit 3 recently? Beware, as it may be a scam.
In a statement on July 19, the police warned that at least 12 such cases – which involve the impersonation of government officials – have been reported since mid-May, with losses amounting to about $274,000.
In these scams, victims would receive unsolicited calls from unknown eight-digit numbers starting with the digit 3.
Fraudsters would pose as representatives from banks, financial institutions or telecommunications companies, telling victims that suspicious transactions had been detected on their credit cards, that insurance policies under their name were being misused, or that their identities had been used to sign up for a new phone contract.
The call would then be transferred to another scammer impersonating government officials from the Ministry of Law, Monetary Authority of Singapore or police. This fake official would then accuse the victims of being involved in criminal activities such as money laundering.
Victims would be told to make bank transfers or cash deposits to a “safe account”. In some of the reported cases, scammers asked victims to withdraw money or declare valuables they owned and hand them over to unknown subjects for “investigation purposes”.
Victims would realise they have been scammed only when the scammers became uncontactable, or after seeking verification from the relevant government agencies.
In their statement, the police advised the public to never trust unsolicited communications, even if the caller appears to have one’s personal information.
They added that government officials will never ask an individual to transfer money or hand over valuables, transfer one’s call to the police or other government officials, or ask to disclose banking login details.
Those in doubt can call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799. For more information on scams, visit www.scamshield.gov.sg