The Singapore Police Force recently put out an advisory on an impersonation scam that has been making the rounds in Singapore. More than 50 police reports have been lodged since March this year, by victims claiming they were tricked into giving up over $4 million to the criminals.
The scam works this way: A call comes in from someone pretending to be an overseas official, informing the person that parcels with illegal items have been shipped in their name. Scammers have also impersonated officers from the Singapore Police Force and local courier companies like Singpost. To make it more convincing, victims may get calls with spoofed local numbers to inform them of the parcels being delivered to local addresses.
Once the bait is hooked, victims are asked to transfer money to bank accounts in China or Malaysia. Sometimes, they’re directed to a webpage where they must key in personal information like their name, NRIC number and bank details (including usernames and passwords).
If you’re ever the recipient of such a suspicious call, ignore all instructions and never give out sensitive information, whether online or over the phone. And when in doubt, there’s always the police hotline for help (1800-255-0000).
