The Singapore Police Force (SPF) would like to remind members of the public to remain vigilant against Government Officials Impersonation Scams that involve physical collection of monies or valuables from scam victims. Since June 2025, there were at least 384 cases reported, with total losses amounting to at least $20.2 million.
In this scam variant, victims would first receive unsolicited calls from scammers pretending to be representatives from financial institutions (e.g. DBS Bank, Maybank, Income Insurance, UnionPay) or government agencies (e.g. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, Ministry of Health).
The scammers would claim that victims had either:
- owed premiums associated with a new or expiring insurance policy in their names;
- submitted fraudulent medical subsidies or claim applications;
- conducted suspicious banking or financial transactions; or
- had phone numbers (or other personal/banking information) registered under their details that were found to be involved in fraudulent activities.
When victims denied any involvement in such activities, they would be transferred to another scammer claiming to be a government official (e.g. Monetary Authority of Singapore, SPF, Ministry of Law, China Police, Malaysia Police). The scammer would accuse victims of being involved in other criminal activities, particularly money laundering, to further scare the victims.
The scammers would ask victims to withdraw monies, purchase gold bars or declare valuables owned (e.g. jewellery, luxury watches) and meet unknown individuals posing as an “officer”, “inspector”, or “undercover agent” to hand over these valuables for investigation purposes. In some cases, victims were instructed to place the valuables in discreet locations for unknown individuals to collect. In other cases, victims were instructed to hand over pre-signed cheques (i.e. blank cheques) to unknown individuals. These cheques were subsequently encashed, and the funds were withdrawn. Victims would realise that they have been scammed when the scammers become uncontactable or when they seek verification with SPF.
We would like to remind members of the public to NEVER transfer monies, hand monies or other valuables, including pre-signed cheques, to any unknown persons or persons whose identity you did not verify. NEVER place monies or valuables at a physical location to facilitate subsequent collection.
We would also like to remind members of the public that Singapore Government officials will never ask members of the public to do the following things over a phone call:
- Ask you to transfer money
- Ask you to disclose banking log-in details
- Ask you to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores
- Transfer your call to Police
The Police would also not, under any circumstances, send its officers or “undercover agents” to collect cash or other valuables from the members of the public. If asked to prepare cash or valuables for handover to an unknown person or place them for collection, do not engage the caller and call 1799 or the Police immediately.
Members of the public are also encouraged to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- ADD – Add the ScamShield App to block calls and filter SMSes. Set transaction limits that are adequate for daily expenses, and lower transaction notification thresholds. Alert the bank immediately of any suspicious activity in your bank account. Activate the Money Lock feature of your bank to “lock up” a portion of your money so that it cannot be transferred out digitally by anyone.
- CHECK – Check for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield App. Call and check with the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
- TELL – Tell the authorities, family, and friends if or when you encounter scams. If you suspect that you have fallen victim to a scam, call your bank immediately to block any fraudulent transactions and make a police report.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
01 September 2025 @ 4:15 PM