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SINGAPORE: Police warned on Tuesday (January 5) of a new type of phishing scam involving the impersonation of government officials.
Victims often receive phone calls or messages allegedly from government agencies such as the Singapore Police (SPF) or the Ministry of Manpower.
The scammers would claim that there were problems with the victims’ bank accounts and that they would have to verify their internet banking access details, one-time passwords or personal details to resolve the matter.
“Victims would realize they had been scammed when they discovered unauthorized transactions made from their accounts,” police said.
READ: Police warn of a new type of phishing scam involving fake banking website ads and sweepstakes
Nearly 900 cases of banking-related phishing scams were reported between January and June last year, and victims suffered losses amounting to more than S $ 3.6 million, police said.
This is a sharp increase from the 34 cases of this type of scam reported in the same period in 2019, with losses of more than S $ 93,000.
READ: Hi there is a scammer on the line – robocalls are on the rise and some people are targeting people who work from home
To avoid falling for scams, the police warned the public not to panic when receiving such calls or messages from scammers.
“No government agency will request personal data or bank account login details over the phone,” said SPF.
“Call a trusted friend or speak to a relative before acting, as you may be overwhelmed with emotion and misjudge.”
Police also noted that scammers can make use of caller spoofing technology to display a different number to victims, masking their real phone numbers. This means that calls that appear to be from a local number may not be made from Singapore.
Since April 2020, local telcos have worked with the Government to add a “+” prefix to incoming international calls, making it easier to identify fraudulent calls.
