The Police would like to remind members of public to remain vigilant against Government Official Impersonation Scams that involve the use of WhatsApp calls and to activate the “Silence unknown callers” function on WhatsApp. Since July 2025, there have been at least 61 cases reported with total losses amounting to at least $4.1 million.
In this scam variant, victims would first receive unsolicited WhatsApp calls (including video calls) from scammers typically pretending to be representatives from banks (e.g. Maybank, Citibank), insurance/payment institutions (e.g., NTUC Income, UnionPay) or government agencies.
The scammers would claim that victims had conducted banking or financial transactions (e.g., transactions made on credit card applied by victim), had outstanding premiums associated with a new or expiring insurance policy under victim’s name, or were suspects under investigation for criminal cases. When victims denied possessing such credit cards or performing such transactions, they would be transferred to another scammer who would claim to be a government official from the Monetary Authority of Singapore or the Singapore Police Force. This scammer would accuse victims of being involved in criminal activities such as money laundering.
The scammers would then instruct victims to perform monetary transactions for investigation or safekeeping purposes, such as transferring money to bank accounts supposedly designated by the government (“safety accounts”) or handing over cash to unknown persons. In some cases, victims were asked to perform cryptocurrency-related transfers, which may include the following series of actions:
- Download a cryptocurrency app (e.g., Coinbase, OKX, StraitsX) and set up an account. Scammers may provide victims with specific email addresses and/or passwords and instruct them to set up accounts with these details.
- Fund the cryptocurrency account through bank transfer or PayNow.
- Purchase cryptocurrency (e.g., USDC).
- Transfer cryptocurrency to another cryptocurrency wallet address (“safety wallet”) provided by scammer.
Victims would realise that they had been scammed when the scammers became uncontactable or when they sought verification with SPF.
We would like to remind members of the public to NEVER transfer monies, hand monies or other valuables 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, or open accounts under the instructions of unknown persons or persons whose identity you cannot verify.
We would also like to inform members of the public that Singapore Government officials will never ask members of the public to 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;
- Transfer your call to the ‘Police’.
Members of the public are also encouraged to activate the “Silence unknown callers” function on their WhatsApp accounts to silence incoming calls from unknown numbers. To activate this feature, you can go to the Settings tab on your phone’s WhatsApp application, tap Privacy > Calls, then toggle on the “Silence unknown callers” function.
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 or your cryptocurrency provider immediately of any suspicious activity in your 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
22 August 2025 @ 4:40 PM