The Police would like to alert members of the public to a new variant of phishing scam which involves the impersonation of iShopChangi. In December 2023, there were at least 19 victims who fell prey to this variant with losses amounting to at least $7,000.
In these cases, the victims encountered Facebook advertisements or posts promoting branded travel luggages for as low as $4 from ‘iShopChangi Singapore’. Some of these advertisements/posts were made to appear legitimate by claims of being a special collaboration between ‘iShopChangi Singapore’ and ‘Rimowa’ as part of the latter’s 125th anniversary celebration. There are in fact no such “collaborations” for the $4 Rimowa luggage bags. After clicking on the advertisement or post, victims were redirected to phishing websites where their debit or credit card credentials were sought. Victims only realised that they had been scammed after they discovered unauthorised transactions being made to their cards.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- ADD – Add ScamShield App to protect yourself from scam calls and SMSes. Set security features (e.g. set up transaction limits for internet banking transactions, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Multifactor Authentication for banks).
- CHECK – Check for scam signs with official sources (e.g. ScamShield WhatsApp bot @ https://go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot, call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688, or visit www.scamalert.sg). Look out for tell-tale signs of a phishing website and if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is so check with the company on its official website if such deals are available. If in doubt, never share your personal information and payment card details with anyone.
- TELL – Tell the authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.
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. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!
Annex A
Screenshots of fake Facebook advertisements and pages impersonating iShopChangi ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
28 December 2023 @ 8:20 PM