The Police would like to alert members of the public to remain vigilant against scams involving the impersonation of staff from Credit Bureau (Singapore) Pte Ltd (CBS), Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Since May 2025, there were at least 14 cases reported with total losses amounting to at least $1.1 million.
In this variant, the victim would first receive an unsolicited phone call from a scammer impersonating a staff from Credit Bureau Singapore (CBS) or Moneylenders Credit Bureau (MLCB). The scammer would seek verification on loans allegedly applied by the victim. When the victim denied knowledge of such loan applications, he would be transferred to a second scammer claiming to be an officer from Ministry of Law (MinLaw) or Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The second scammer would deceive victims of their involvement in money laundering activities. The scammer then instruct the victims to transfer monies to a bank account for the purpose of assisting in investigations. Victims would realise that they had been scammed when the scammers became uncontactable.
CBS, MLCB, MinLaw and MAS do not provide updates relating to your loan application status, nor request that you transfer money to them. In addition, Singapore Government Officials, CBS, or MLCB will never do the following 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; or
- Transfer your call to Police.
Members of the public are advised 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. If in doubt about the authenticity of any calls from MinLaw officers, you can contact MinLaw via the online enquiry form at https://eservices.mlaw.gov.sg/enquiry/ or hotline at 1800 2255 529. For queries concerning CBS, please call hotline at 6565 6363.
- TELL - Tell the authorities, family, and friends about 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
16 June 2025 @ 5:15 PM