The Police have observed a re-emergence of the phone impersonation scam where members of the public received phone calls that were purportedly made by courier companies and/or government officials for involvement in the following cases:
- A parcel under their name containing illegal goods was detained by the Chinese Customs. The call was then transferred to another person who identified himself to be from the Police; and/or
- Allegation that they had committed a criminal offence and were required to assist in criminal investigation.
The scammer would then direct the recipient to provide their personal details and particulars, including internet banking credentials and One-Time Passwords (OTP), to the “Government Officer” for investigation purposes. The recipient might also be threatened with imprisonment if they did not cooperate. Subsequently, the recipients would discover that monies had been transferred from their bank account to other unknown bank accounts.
In some cases, the recipients were instructed by the scammers to transfer a sum of money using Bitcoin vending machines instead. The scammers would first send a QR code to them and ask them to scan it at the Bitcoin vending machine before depositing their money into the machine. There were also some cases where the recipients were asked to withdraw money from their bank account to hand over to a “Government Officer” for verification purposes.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to take precautions when they receive unsolicited calls, especially from unknown parties:
- Ignore the calls and caller’s instructions.
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No government agency will request for personal details or transfer of money over the phone or through automated voice machines.
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Scammers may use Caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and display a different number. Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore. If you receive a suspicious call from a local number, hang up, wait five minutes, then call the number back to check the validity of the request.
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Do not provide your name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account or credit card details. Such information are useful to criminals.
- Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act. You may be overwhelmed by emotion and err in your judgment.
If you wish to provide any information, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
To seek scam-related advice, you may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg. Help spread the word and share this advisory with your family and friends to prevent them from being the next victim of scam.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
12 July 2017 @ 8:20 PM