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The Police would like to alert members of the public to be vigilant against scams perpetuated via emails that impersonate educational institutions. Since 14 October 2025, there were at least 15 cases reported, with total losses amounting to at least $44,000.

In this scam variant, the victims would receive emails requesting for urgent payment of outstanding school or tuition fees. These emails were sent from email accounts belonging to fellow students which have been taken over by the scammers or email domains that are very similar to the official email accounts of education institutions. To make payment, the victims were asked to transfer money to a bank account. The victims were warned that the failure to do so quickly would subject them to actions by the school’s litigation department. The victims would realise that they had been scammed after seeking verifications from their school, or after receiving relevant alerts and anti-scam advisories.

MOE would like to advise members of the public to exercise caution when receiving emails requesting for school fees through direct payment, immediate bank transfers, or payment links outside official student portals. Please check with the relevant institutions via official channels before transferring any fees, especially for unscheduled payment requests. The Police would also like to advise members of the public not to transfer monies to any unknown persons and to adopt the following precautionary measures: 

1. ADD – 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.
   
   
2. CHECK – for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield App. Call and check with the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
   
   
3. TELL – 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!

Photos of the scam emails