Between September and October 2018, officers from Bukit Merah East Neighbourhood Police Centre successfully prevented three women and one man, aged between 19 and 28, from falling prey to the China Officials Impersonation Scam.
The four individuals had received unsolicited calls from strangers claiming to be government officials, and were informed that they had committed criminal offences and were required to assist in investigations. The callers then requested them to deposit money into a specified account via a cryptocurrency cash deposit machine, in order to resolve the matter.
The officers had come across the four individuals during their engagement with members of the public to raise awareness on scams. The officers’ intervention prevented a total loss of $5800 by the four individuals.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls to transfer money or provide personal information:
- Ignore such calls and the caller’s instructions. No government agency will demand payment through an undocumented medium like a telephone call or other social messaging platforms (WeChat or Facebook); or ask you for personal banking information such as your internet banking passwords.
- For foreign residents receiving calls from persons claiming to be police officers or government officials from your home country, please call your Embassy/High Commission to verify the claims of the caller.
- Refrain from giving out personal information and bank details, whether on a website or to callers over the phone. Personal information and bank details such as internet bank account usernames and passwords, OTP codes from tokens, are useful to criminals. Do not make any funds transfer at the behest of such callers.
- Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act. Do not be pressured by the caller to act impulsively.
To seek scam-related advice, you may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg. Share this advisory with your family and friends to prevent them from being the next victim of scam.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
04 November 2018 @ 6:00 PM