The Police would like to alert members of the public to a new variant of impersonation scams involving the impersonation of Chinese services. Since 29 August 2024, at least 46 cases were reported, with total losses amounting to at least S$958,000.
In this scam variant, victims would receive unsolicited phone calls from a scammer impersonating a staff from Chinese services such as Tencent, WeChat or UnionPay. The scammer would typically inform victims of an expiring free trial of a subscription which they had signed up for previously (e.g. insurance coverage, WeChat application anti-harassment function, WeChat subscription).
The scammer would then tell the victims that the fees would be deducted automatically from their bank accounts linked to the platform unless the victims cancelled the subscriptions. To do so, victims would have to verify their identities and bank accounts, by providing their personal information and making monetary transfers to various bank accounts. The victims were assured that their monies would be refunded upon successful verification. In some of the cases, the scammer would guide the victim through WhatsApp’s screen sharing function to increase the bank transaction limit and perform the bank transfers.
In some of the cases, the scammer would increase their credibility or pressure victims by doing any or a combination of the following:
- Redirecting victims to speak with a scammer impersonating as a customer service staff via WhatsApp or a video conferencing application
- Redirecting victims to a phishing website with live customer service chat function. In some of the cases, the phishing website impersonated UnionPay
- Showing victims a fake customer service staff’s employment pass from the purported company
- Showing victims fake documents of their alleged subscriptions, with the victims’ personal information
- Informing victims that their WeChat accounts had been frozen
- Providing refunds for test transfers before asking the victims to transfer money
Most victims would only realise that they had been scammed after making multiple monetary transfers without receiving the promised refunds.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures to avoid falling for scams:
- 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). Do not send money to anyone you do not know or have not met in person before. Do not disclose your personal information, bank/card details and One-Time Passwords (OTPs) to anyone.
- CHECK – Check for scam signs with official sources (e.g. call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg), or with someone you trust. Look out for tell-tale signs of a phishing website. Do not click on dubious URL links provided by anyone you do not know or have not met in person before.
- TELL – Tell the authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.
If you have any information relating to such crimes or are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!
Annex A
Screenshots
Screenshot of a phishing website impersonating UnionPay▼
Screenshot of the victim’s live chat with the scammer, where the scammer provided the recipient’s bank account details▼
Example of employment pass shown to the victim▼
Document of alleged product purchased by the victim▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
10 September 2024 @ 3:40 PM