Singapore authorities have reported a sharp rise in government official impersonation scams, with the number of cases and losses nearly doubling compared to the previous year.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) revealed that over 1,100 cases were reported between January and October 2024, leading to losses of at least S$120 million.

This is a substantial increase from the 680 cases and S$67 million in losses recorded during the same period in 2023.

These scams involve fraudsters impersonating bank officers, often claiming to represent major Singaporean banks such as DBS, OCBC, UOB, or Standard Chartered.

Victims are contacted with false allegations of unauthorised credit cards or suspicious transactions linked to their accounts.

When the victim denies knowledge of such activities, the scammer transfers the call to an accomplice posing as a government official, sometimes using video calls to present fake credentials, agency logos, or fabricated warrant cards and official documents to appear convincing.

Communication may also shift to messaging apps like WhatsApp.

Victims are frequently accused of serious offenses such as money laundering and coerced into transferring funds to so-called “safety accounts” for supposed investigative purposes.

SPF and MAS have stressed that banks do not transfer calls to external parties like the police or other government agencies.

They also reiterated that police will never ask individuals to transfer money to “safety accounts” as part of any investigation.

To safeguard against such scams, members of the public are urged to enable security features on their devices, such as international call blocking, and to adopt two-factor or multi-factor authentication for online accounts.

Authorities also recommend using money lock features to secure savings and regularly monitoring bank transaction alerts for any unusual activity.

SPF and MAS reminded the public to verify suspicious information with trusted sources, including the ScamShield helpline at 1799 or the ScamShield website, is advised.

Authorities encourage individuals to report suspicious activity and to share information about these scams with family and friends to raise awareness.

Victims are urged to contact their banks immediately to block fraudulent transactions and file a police report through the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or the online reporting platform at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

Featured image credit: Edited from Freepik

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