MAN ARRESTED FOR SUSPECTED INVOLVEMENT IN A GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IMPERSONATION SCAM
The Police have arrested a 19-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a case of Government Officials Impersonation Scam (“GOIS”).
On 16 July 2023, the Police received a ‘999’ call for assistance to verify the identity of a purported government official who claimed to be acting under the office of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Through follow up investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division and Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the man and subsequently arrested him on the same day. CAD officers seized several case exhibits such as a laptop, a printer, a brown envelope, a fake MAS pass, some GOIS related documents, a debit card, some apparels, and an ink pad from the man’s residence. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had allegedly printed a pass with wordings “Monetary Authority of Singapore” and later presented it and impersonated as a MAS officer. He is also believed to have handed over some documents to a victim for her endorsement.
The man will be charged in court on 18 July 2023 with an offence of Cheating by Personation under Section 419 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term up to 5 years, or with fine, or with both.
The Police advise members of the public to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls requesting for compliance with instructions to avoid criminal investigations:
- Ignore such calls and the caller’s instructions. No government agency will instruct payment through a telephone call or other social messaging platforms (WeChat or Facebook), or ask you for personal banking information such as your internet banking passwords;.
- For foreigners receiving calls from persons claiming to be from Police in your home country, call your Embassy/High Commission to verify the claims of the caller;
- Refrain from giving out personal information and bank details, whether on a website or to callers over the phone. Personal information and bank details such as internet bank account usernames, passwords, OTP codes from tokens, are useful to criminals.
- Do not make any funds transfer if the caller is of dubious identity;
- Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act. Do not be pressured by the caller to act impulsively.
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. 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. Do share this advisory with your family and friends to prevent them from being the next scam victim.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
17 July 2023 @ 10:45 PM
POLICE ADVISORY ON RE-EMERGENCE OF IMPERSONATION SCAMS INVOLVING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
The Police would like to alert the public to a persistent trend of a scam variant involving the impersonation of government agencies. Between 1 June 2023 to 12 July 2023, at least 134 victims have fallen prey, with total losses amounting to at least $375,000.
In this variant, victims would receive unsolicited phone calls or in-app calls (e.g. WhatsApp video call) allegedly from government agencies such as the Singapore Police Force (SPF) or the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The scammers would claim that there were issues with the victim’s bank accounts and required additional verification. Victims would then be asked to provide their banking or personal information such as banking credentials and One-Time Passwords (OTPs) to resolve these issues. Victims may also be asked to show their identity cards, work permit or their bank cards when speaking to the “SPF” or “MOM” officer over the in-app video call. The victims would only discover that they had been scammed when they realised that there were unauthorised transactions made from their bank accounts.
The Police would also like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- ADD – ScamShield App and set security features (e.g., enable two-factor (2FA) or multifactor authentication for banks and set transaction limits on internet banking transactions, including PayNow/PayLah).
- CHECK – Before giving your banking credentials over the telephone or WhatsApp, check with authorised sources because the Police will never ask you for your banking credentials and OTP over the telephone or WhatsApp. Never share your banking credentials, including your OTPs with anyone over the phone.
- TELL – Report the number to WhatsApp for them to initiate in-app blocking. If you disclosed your banking details, report this to your bank immediately. Tell your friends about this scam so they do not fall for it.
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. Please call ‘999’ if you require urgent Police assistance.
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.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
17 July 2023 @ 5:30 PM
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