The Police would like to alert members of the public to a scam involving scammers, who claim to represent religious figures or be affiliated with religious figures, offering to provide winning lottery numbers. Since January 2023, at least 55 victims have fallen prey, with losses amounting to at least $507,000.
In this scam, victims would receive unsolicited messages from scammers claiming to represent religious figures or affiliated with religious figures via messaging application such as WhatsApp or social media platforms. The scammers would then ask the victims if they would like to be blessed with wealth. After agreeing to be blessed, the scammers would then offer to buy lottery numbers on behalf of the victim and would subsequently inform the victims that they had won the lottery. Scammers would ask the victims to transfer them a portion of the winnings or pay various administrative fees before the winnings can be released to the victims. The victims would realise that they had been scammed when the scammers repeatedly delay the transfer of the winnings.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- ADD - Install the ScamShield app to protect yourself.
- CHECK - Be wary of offers from scammers that entice victims with financial windfalls. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do not believe offers that request money transfers in return for a larger fortune.
- TELL - Report the number to WhatsApp to initiate in-app blocking and report the fraudulent Facebook posting and Facebook user profile to the platform. Tell your family and friends about this scam so they do not fall for it!
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Join the ‘Spot the Signs. Stop the Crimes’ campaign at www.scamalert.sg/fight by signing up as an advocate to receive up-to-date messages and share them with your family and friends. Together, we can ACT against scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next victim.
Annex A
Images of conversations between the victims and scammers and images of scammers purportedly to be from temples
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
02 March 2023 @ 5:11 PM