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Phone impersonation scams cheated victims of S$5.3m from Jan to May 2019: Police

SINGAPORE — The police on Wednesday (Aug 21) warned the public about telephone impersonation scams that trick the victim into thinking they are in trouble with the law.

The police warn the public never to give callers their personal details such as their name, passport number or banking details because the information can be "useful to criminals"..

The police warn the public never to give callers their personal details such as their name, passport number or banking details because the information can be "useful to criminals"..

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SINGAPORE — The police on Wednesday (Aug 21) warned the public about telephone impersonation scams that trick the victim into thinking they are in trouble with the law.

The scammers, who sometimes claim to be acting for police in China, have cheated 92 people here of at least S$5.3 million from January to May this year, the Singapore Police Force said in a media statement.

The culprits use various techniques in their calls to victims, sometimes posing as staff members from courier companies, or officers from government organisations, the police said.

The scam could then take several forms, including telling the victim that:

  •  A mobile number registered in the victim's name was involved in a crime

  • A parcel under the victim's name contained illegal goods and had been detained

  • There was a pending court case against the victim

  • The victim had committed a crime and was required to assist in investigations

The victim would then be asked to provide their personal particulars and bank account details for investigation purposes, such as their Internet banking details and one-time security passwords. The callers then use these details to transfer money out of the victims' bank accounts.

In other variations of the scheme, the scammers asked the victim to scan a QR code and transfer money using a bitcoin vending machine, or to withdraw money from their bank account and hand it over to a "government officer" for verification purposes.

Some of the scam calls were transferred to another person claiming to be a police officer from China. The victims would be shown a warrant for their arrest in China and threatened with imprisonment if they did not co-operate.

In order to avoid falling prey to such scams, the police advised the public to take precautions when receiving unsolicited calls from unknown parties.

They noted that some scammers are able to hide their real phone number and make it look like another number. For instance, a number that appears to be a Singapore number could be from overseas, police said.

If a member of the public receives a suspicious call, they can hang up and wait a while before calling back to check the validity of the request.

The police stressed that government agencies will never request personal details or money transfers over the phone or through automated voice machines.

The public should not give their name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account or credit card details because this information can be “useful to criminals”.

For scam-related advice, call the anti-scam hotline on 1800 722 6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg

Anyone wishing to provide information on scams should call the police hotline on 1800 255 0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

Related topics

scam cheating police impersonation money bank

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