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The Police would like to alert members of the public to a malware-enabled scam variant involving advertisements on social media platforms promoting senior-focused activities and programmes, water-based fitness activities, and recycling initiatives. Since April 2026, at least 62 cases have been reported, with total losses amounting to at least $989,000.

In this scam variant, victims would come across the fake advertisements on social media platforms, such as Facebook, and be instructed to download an Android Application Package (APK) file to facilitate programme registration or service arrangements. After installing the application, victims would receive unsolicited calls from scammers impersonating government officials or bank representatives, who would falsely claim that the victims' devices or bank accounts had been compromised, or that they were implicated in criminal activities. Victims would then be induced to transfer monies, disclose banking credentials or personal information, or surrender valuables for investigations. In some cases, scammers were also able to perform unauthorised transactions from the victims' bank accounts through the malware installed on their devices. Victims would typically realise that they had been scammed only after discovering these unauthorised transactions.

Members of the public are advised to:

• Only install apps from official application stores, and never download applications from unverified sources or links provided by unknown persons.
• Do not disable the protection function, such as Google Play Protect, on your devices;
• Never share personal contact details, transfer, or hand over monies or valuables to unknown persons;Never leave monies or valuables at a physical location upon unsolicited requests to facilitate subsequent collection.

Singapore Government officials will never ask you to:

• Transfer or hand over money or valuables such as luxury watches, gold or cryptocurrency; 
• Disclose banking login details; 
• Install mobile apps from unofficial app stores; or 
• Transfer your call to the Police or any other government agencies.

Members of the public are also advised to adopt the following protective measures:

1. ADD – Add the ScamShield app and set security features (e.g. set up transaction limits for internet banking transactions, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Multifactor Authentication for banks and e-wallets, use 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, further protecting your savings from scams). 
   
   
2. CHECK – Check for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield Helpline (1799). Verify the legitimacy of social media advertisements, companies and organisations through official channels before engaging with them. Do not disclose your personal information, bank/card details and One-Time Passwords (OTPs) to anyone.
   
   
3. TELL - Tell the authorities, family, and friends about scams. If you suspect that you have fallen victim to a scam, contact your bank immediately and lodge a Police report.

For more information on scams, visit www.scamshield.gov.sg. If in doubt, call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 to check. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to keep our community safe.

Annex A

Screenshots of Conversations between Scammers and Victims

Annex B

Screenshots of Conversations between Victims and Impersonated Bank Entity