In April 2025, the Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) worked with DBS Bank to foil a government official impersonation scam case, preventing losses of S$100,000.
On 9 April 2025, a 64-year-old woman received a call from a ‘bank employee’, who informed her of alleged unauthorised transactions on her credit card. When she denied making these transactions, the ‘bank employee’ referred her to a 'staff' from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The ‘staff’ told the woman that she was under investigation for money laundering, and would need to provide her banking credentials and transfer S$100,000 into a bank account. The ‘staff’ had also assured her that the funds would be returned once the investigation was completed. The woman complied with the request.
This attempted transaction was detected by the DBS Bank Anti-Scam team who then contacted her to verify its purpose. When she explained that it was for an investigation, the DBS Bank staff successfully convinced her that she had fallen prey to a government official impersonation scam.
Upon learning that she had disclosed all her banking credentials to the scammer, DBS promptly escalated the case to the ASC. The ASC coordinated with other banks to temporarily suspend outgoing transactions while the victim proceeded to lodge a police report. Through the swift intervention by ASC and DBS Bank, the transaction was successfully stopped in time and a potential loss of S$100,000 was prevented.
ACT Against Scams
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- ADD – Add security features (e.g. enable International Call Blocking options on mobile devices, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) or Multifactor Authentication for online accounts, Money Lock your bank accounts to further secure a portion of your savings). Do not send money to anyone you do not know or have not met in person before.
- CHECK – Check for scam signs with official sources (e.g. call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 or visit www.scamshield.gov.sg), or with someone you trust. Never disclose your personal information (including SingPass and CPF-related information), internet banking and social media account details, and One-Time Passwords (OTP) to anyone. Always monitor the transaction alerts sent by your bank.
- TELL – Tell the authorities as well as your family and friends if or when you encounter scams. Report and block any suspected scam accounts and chat groups. If you suspect that you have fallen victim to a scam, call your bank immediately to report and block any fraudulent transactions as well as make a police report.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!
Annex
Ms Cheryl Wang (left) from the DBS Anti-Scam Team, ASP Lee Hua Sheng (centre) and ASP Chu Kok Min (right) from the Singapore Police Force Anti-Scam Centre, worked together to prevent losses of S$100,000.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 May 2025 @ 3:30 PM