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The Police would like to alert members of the public to be vigilant against a variant of social media impersonation scams in which scammers would take over WhatsApp accounts and impersonate account owners to solicit loans or financial assistance. Since September 2026, at least 128 cases have been reported with total losses amounting to at least $249,000.

In this scam variant, victims would typically receive WhatsApp messages from scammers posing as their family members, friends, colleagues, or acquaintances. These scammers would request monetary loans or ask victims to transfer monies on their behalf, citing various reasons such as experiencing difficulties making bank transfers, having reached their maximum transfer limits, or needing help to make payments on their behalf. Victims also reported receiving messages purportedly from their children, asking them to transfer payment for an AI or exchange program.

The Police would like to remind members of the public to be wary of any requests to transfer monies, and to always verify if in doubt. Members of the public should also secure their WhatsApp accounts by enabling two-step verifications and removing unnecessary or unknown linked devices¹.

Members of the public are advised to take the following precautionary measures:

1. ADD - Add the ScamShield app to block scam calls and filter suspicious SMSes. 
   
   
2. CHECK – Check for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield Helpline (1799). Verify unusual requests for money directly with your family members, friends, colleagues, or acquaintances. Do not transfer any money until you have confirmed the request is genuine.
   
   
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 to report and block any fraudulent transactions, and lodge a Police report.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg. If you are 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.

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Screenshots of WhatsApp Communications

¹Members of the public should remove unknown devices linked to their WhatsApp accounts by going to ‘Settings’ > ‘Linked Devices’. Members of the public should also enable the ‘Two-Step Verification’ feature on their WhatsApp accounts by going to ‘Settings’ > ‘Account’ > ‘Two-step verification’ > ‘Enable’. Members of the public may refer to the WhatsApp Help Centre for more information on the security features and measures to safeguard their WhatsApp accounts