Swift Intervention By Anti-Scam Centre And Uob In Government Official Impersonation Scam Cases Prevented Over $698,000 In Losses

On 16 May 2024, the Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) and UOB successfully prevented losses of over $698,000 in two cases of Government Official Impersonation Scam. ASC and UOB had acted swiftly to intercept the funds and engage the victims, convincing them of the deceptive schemes they were entrenched in.

In the first case, a 77-year-old man was contacted by a caller impersonating a "Police Officer" from CID, informing him that he was under investigation for the suspicious transactions in his bank account. To assist with the investigation, the man was instructed to transfer a total of $220,000 to a bank account provided by the fake Police Officer. After making the transfers, on 23 May 2024, the man visited a UOB branch to surrender his UOB fixed deposit amounting to $549,000. UOB bank staff noted the early surrender of his fixed deposit and probed further. However the explanation provided by the man was not consistent and thus, UOB escalated the situation to ASC as they found it suspicious.

ASC officers quickly engaged the man at his residence to understand the situation and pointed out the red flags to the man, who was then convinced that he had fallen prey to a scam. The swift intervention by UOB and ASC prevented losses amounting to $549,000.

In the second case, a 63-year-old woman received a phone call from a "Police Officer" who claimed that she was under investigation for a money laundering offence. The woman was instructed to transfer sums of more than $149,000 from her UOB account to a bank account provided by the scammer for the purpose of investigation. When UOB clarified on the purpose of her transactions, the woman was unwilling to share more. Suspecting that the woman could have fallen prey to a scam, UOB alerted ASC. ASC officers quickly engaged the woman in person, successfully convincing her that it was a scam and that the "Police Officer" whom she was in contact with, was a fake police officer. Losses amounting to more than $149,000 was prevented by ASC and UOB in this case.

The Police would like to emphasise that government officials, especially police officers, will never request members of the public over the phone or through text messages to (i) make bank transfers; (ii) provide personal banking, SingPass or CPF-related information; (iii) click on links that lead to bank websites; (iv) install third party applications or software on your computer or mobile phone. Government officials from other countries do not have legal powers to require members of the public in Singapore to perform such actions. The public are to call the Singapore police if an alleged Chinese police officer meets you in person in Singapore to pay money to him or to receive and sign documents for bail or investigation purposes.

Members of the public are encouraged to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

1. ADD - Add the ScamShield App to protect yourself from scam calls and SMSes. Set security features (e.g., enable International Call Blocking options on mobile devices, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Multifactor Authentication for online accounts, Money Lock your bank accounts to further secure a portion of your savings).
   
   
2. CHECK - Check for scam signs with official sources (e.g., ScamShield WhatsApp bot @ https://go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot, call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688, or visit www.scamalert.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.
   
   
3. TELL - Tell the authorities, family, and friends about this scam encounter. 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 and make a police report.

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. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
24 June 2024 @ 8:15 PM