SINGAPORE: The authorities warned on Thursday (Oct 10) of a rise in government official impersonation scamsgba777, with at least S$6.7 million (US$5.1 million) lost in September.
There were also at least 100 cases reported during that time, the police and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a joint press release.
In this variant of the scam, victims would receive unsolicited calls from scammers impersonating bank officers, typically from DBS, OCBC, UOB or Standard Chartered Bank.
The scammer would inform the victim that a credit card had been issued under their name, or that there were suspicious or fraudulent transactions detected in the victim’s bank account, and would ask the victim to confirm these financial transactions.
When the victim denied knowledge of such transactions, the scammer would transfer the call to a second person who would impersonate a police officer or MAS official.
At times, the scammers would hold video calls dressed as police or MAS officers, using fake badges and backdrops with the agency’s logo.
The communication between the second scammer and the victim could subsequently be moved to messaging applications such as WhatsApp, the authorities said.
"In some instances, the scammers may provide fake warrant cards or fake official documents to lend credence to their deceit.
"The scammers would accuse the victim of being involved in criminal activities such as money laundering and ask the victim to transfer monies to 'safety accounts' designated by the government to assist in investigations," said the authorities.
A screenshot showing a fake arrest warrant. (Image: SPF, MAS)
A screenshot showing a fake MAS report. (Image: SPF, MAS)The victims would only realise that they had been scammed when the "officials" became uncontactable or when they sought verification of the status of their cases with the banks or the police.
The authorities advised the public to adopt security features on their mobile devices or Money Lock features for their bank accounts.
They also reminded the public that the police will never ask members of the public to transfer money into a “safety account” with banks or the police at the commencement of investigations.
The public was also advised to check for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield helpline and to also never disclose personal information such as their Singpass credentials.
"If you suspect that you have fallen victim to a scam, call your bank immediately to report and block any fraudulent transactions as well as make a police reportgba777," the authorities said.