There’s been a recent resurgence of fake purchases charged to phone bills after victims unknowingly provided their personal information to strangers on Facebook, according to the police. From January to November this year, the police were alerted to 130 such cases, which is 120 percent higher than the same period last year.
The total amount victims have been scammed out of this year adds up to at least S$16,000.
So how does it work? The scam begins when scammers send friend requests to their victims on Facebook through accounts that can sometimes look rather similar to that of your actual friend’s, so as to make them look more legit.
Once they’re in your network, they’ll ask for your mobile number and service provider to purchase gaming credits or virtual gift cards online. All these are charged to your phone bill after you give them your One Time Passwords (OTPs) or Verification Codes.
As such, the police have advised the public to refrain from sharing personal information online — even if it may come from someone who seems to be a friend — including verification codes, bank account numbers, and passwords.
The best way to protect yourself against such scams is to always confirm with your friend their friend request using other means of communication.
