SINGAPORE – Be careful if you get a call from someone who claims to work for a foreign law enforcement agency and needs your assistance in their investigations.
This is likely to be an impersonation scam.
Such foreign agencies do not have powers to conduct investigations in Singapore, or direct anyone here to assist in their investigations, the Singapore police said on March 13.
They added that officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Cybersecurity and ICT Governance Directorate (CIDG) will not call members of the public as part of their duties.
This comes as at least $5,000 was lost to conmen claiming to be officers from the directorate in March 2025, with at least one case reported.
In this scam variant, victims would receive calls from people on local mobile lines without the +65 prefix, claiming to be from the CIDG.
The victims would be told that their personal data had been used for criminal activities in Malaysia, and the call could be transferred to a second scammer claiming to be from Malaysian law enforcement agencies, such as the Malaysian Interpol or the Criminal Investigation Department.
The scammers would try to get the victims’ personal information, including bank account details, personal particulars, SingPass password or one-time password, or ask them to transfer money to a bank account to assist in investigations.
Members of the public should not transfer money or disclose any personal details to unknown persons.
If in doubt, call the Scamshield helpline at 1799 to check.
For more information on scams, visit www.scamshield.gov.sg.
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