Scam Alert
-
Crime in Singapore remained low but scams still a significant concern in 2016: MHA
Singapore remains a safe and secure home as crime remained low and the overall crime rate fell in 2016, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) overview of last year's safety and security situation.
In its report released on Wednesday (Feb 8), MHA said the number of violent and housebreaking crimes, as well as theft, went down as compared to 2015.
It described the overall drug situation as stable, with a slight fall in the number of drug abusers arrested.
The number of immigration offenders arrested remained low, while the number of persons arrested for harbouring and employing immigration offenders fell.
There were fewer fire fatalities and injuries and Singapore's roads also saw lower number of fatal accidents and fatalities last year.
MHA, however, warned that several trends remain a concern.
While the number of commercial crimes decreased slightly, it said scams involving e-commerce, Internet love and China officials impersonation were of a significant concern.
The number of new drug abusers has increased, with close to two-thirds of all new abusers aged below 30.
More elderly pedestrians were involved in fatal accidents, while the number of ambulance calls remain on the rise.
The various Home Team departments are set to issue their annual statistics reports in the coming week, which will expand on the trends highlighted in MHA's overview.
The threat of a terrorist attack also featured high on MHA's agenda. It urged the public to be alert and prepared, and for Singaporeans to stay united and rebound quickly.
Citing the launch of SGSecure on Sept 24 last year, MHA reiterated its call to action for the community to help prevent a terrorist attack.
"We aim to have at least one Prepared Citizen in every household. We have reached out to more than 34,000 households to help them learn how to protect themselves and their families, and how to recognise and report suspicious behaviour or items," MHA said.
MHA also highlighted the launch of the SGSecure mobile app, which has been downloaded by over 210,000 mobile devices to date, and its efforts to spread the SGSecure message in schools.
Since last May, MHA has reached out to 40 secondary schools via the SGSecure mobile exhibition and school assembly talks.
A customised SGSecure-oriented learning resource for primary schools has also been produced for roll-out in 2017.
-
Bogus Grab and Uber promotional deals cheat victims of at least $7,700
At least nine reports of people being cheated into buying bogus packages passing off as private-hire car service promotional deals have been made to the police since last week.
The total amount scammed was at least $7,700, police said in an advisory on Wednesday (Feb 22).
Victims were introduced to cheap "Grab/Uber promotional packages" through friends who had come across the advertisements by word of mouth.
They were then asked to contact the seller via online messaging app WhatsApp and were instructed to transfer money to bank accounts to buy the packages.
However, after making payments, victims were not able to redeem the rides and the seller became uncontactable.
The police advised the public to purchase rides only from the official sources and to be careful when purchasing items at prices that sound too good to be true.
When in doubt, consumers can call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722 6688 or visit https://www.scamalert.sg.
-
'Can you hear me' scam could be next trick swindlers bring to Singapore
The phone rings, and when you answer, you are greeted by a voice that briefly introduces themselves or the company they work for.
The person then says: "Can you hear me?"
To reassure the caller, your first instinct is to say: "Yes"
Unbeknownst to you, your answer has been recorded. And while it may seem like just an innocent "yes", the con artist on the other end of the line has got some very sinister plans for it.
Several reports in the UK are warning against such scams, which have emerged in the US recently.
According to The Independent, the recording of your voice can be used as verbal agreement to a contract you are not even aware of.
Verbal contracts are used by many companies conducting legitimate business, but swindlers who use such tactics will trick their victims into paying for products and services they never asked for. When the victim refutes their claims, they will use the recording of their victims saying "yes" as proof, and threaten to take legal action if payment is not made.
Mail Online also reported that the swindlers could use the voice recording to authorise use of stolen credit cards.
So far, scammers have conned people in Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia with this tactic, the tabloid reported.
A spokesperson from call blocking service company CPR Call Blocker told UK media that the best way for people to prevent such scams was to disconnect such calls when asked "Can you hear me?". Alternatively, you can choose to ignore calls if you do not recognise the number that is calling.
-
Marriott warns consumers of phone scam offering free hotel stay
If you get a call from someone claiming to a offer free stay at a Marriott hotel, hang up.
Marriott International has released a statement warning consumers of fraudulent phone calls being made in different parts of the world, where the caller offers a complimentary stay at a Marriott hotel in exchange for personal information, or the purchase of a product or service unrelated to the Marriott brand.
"If you receive a suspicious telephone call, especially for a contest you did not enter, we urge you not to provide any personal information, especially credit card information," says Marriott.
"Instead, simply end the phone call."
-
At least 53 credit-for-sex scams reported in 1st half of March, $304,000 scammed since January: Police http://str.sg/476C
-
.@SingaporePolice releases advisory on fake police website that is a phishing site in disguise http://bit.ly/2nPdhzI
-
Trio arrested for impersonating police officers in S$70k scam http://bit.ly/2o7EJZZ
-
Members of public continue to receive calls from scammers pretending to be police officers
Stomper Bernard wants to remind others to be wary of calls ending with '999' from fake police officers.
He received a call from 6373 1999 at 8.50am today.
Fortunately, Bernard knew something was not right when the voice on the other end sounded like it was an automated message.
"The person said that they were calling from a police station and asked for my NRIC number," said Bernard.
He hung up immediately after.
The police posted a scam alert on their Facebook page on Feb 27 warning members of the public to ignore these calls and the caller's instructions:
"The Police have received information that members of the public are receiving calls with numbers ending with "6XXXX999", allegedly from SPF officers.
"The Police would like to clarify that these calls were not made by our Police officers. Members of the public are advised to take the following precautions when they receive calls from unknown origins.
- Ignore such calls and the caller’s instructions.
- Do not provide your name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account or credit card details. Such information are useful to criminals.
"Members of the public may call the Police hotline at 1800-255 0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness should they have any related information, and dial ‘999’ only if urgent Police assistance is required.
"To seek scam-related advice, members of the public may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688."
-
Beware of calls from '+65 6391 6100' impersonating immigration officers @ICASingapore http://bit.ly/2p9Txr2
-
Why people take calls from unknown numbers?
-
-
-
noo way
-
Reallyy? Somebody will give you credit card number???hahah
-
-
Be on alert against parking ticket e-mail scam by police impostors, police warn http://str.sg/4BD3
-
Singapore Customs issues warning on e-mails impersonating its officers. http://str.sg/42vY
-
New phone scam fakes calls from police hotline number
The police issued an advisory on Friday (May 19) about a new scam that uses the police hotline number.
"The police are aware that some members of the public have been receiving missed calls from police hotline contact number 1800-255-000 on their mobile phones," it said in a Facebook post.
The number 1800-255-0000 would not be reflected on phones for all genuine calls made from the hotline, police said.
The hotline is meant for the public to provide information on crimes and other non-urgent matters.
"Members of the public are advised to ignore such calls from unknown origins, where Caller ID spoofing technology may be used to mask the actual phone number and display a different number," police said.
Last July, a similar scam which used numbers starting with 999 was carried out.
Members of the public with information can go to www.police.gov.sg/iwitness, and dial 999 if urgent police assistance is required.
-
Got a call telling you you've won Singapore Airlines tickets? It's a scam http://bit.ly/2qmBgTL
-
Police warn of computer tech support scam
Pop-up messages that claim your computer has been infected with a virus or that your information has been leaked could likely be a scam, police warned.
Since January this year, more than 20 police reports have been lodged of unauthorised charges to their credit cards, after the victims provided their card details thinking they were buying software for the fake virus.
The pop-up messages claim that the computer has either been infected by a virus or that users’ passwords and information have been leaked. This will be followed with a toll-free number, advising victims to contact “Microsoft” to resolve the issue.
Once the call is made, victims are connected to operators who claim to be employees of Wetechconsultants, Microsoft or Apple and instructed to download an application from a website (www.remote.me, www.anydesk.com, www.fastsupport.com) or enter commands to their computers.
In doing so, scammers were able to gain remote access and control of victims’ computers.
The victims are then asked to purchase “anti-virus software”, as well as share their personal particulars and credit and debit card details.
In a statement on Sunday (June 4), police advised the public not to fall victim to these fake tech support pop-up messages on computer screens.
To avoid getting scammed, police advise the following preventive measures:
• Ignore the pop-up messages and do not call the toll-free number provided.
• Do not panic and do not follow instructions to install applications or type commands into your computer.
• Do not give out your personal information, credit/debit card details, bank account details, or email account details.
To seek advise on scam-related issues, the public may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg.
-
Beware of online credit card scams
The police have received more than 20 reports of unauthorised charges to people's credit cards as a result of online scams so far this year.
Victims provided their credit or debit card information to buy software for fake virus infection on their computers, the police revealed in a statement to the media yesterday.
First, users would see a pop-up message on their computer screens suggesting that their computers had been infected with a virus or their passwords and information might have been leaked.
They were then given a toll-free telephone number they could use to call "Microsoft" to resolve the issue.
Those who made the call ended up speaking to operators who claimed they were employed by Wetechconsultants, Microsoft or Apple.
The victims were asked to download an application from a website or to enter commands on their computers. This gave the scammers remote access to and control over their computers.
The scammers also told the victims that they had to purchase "anti-virus software" to fix the computers, asking for personal particulars - such as their identity card numbers - and credit or debit card details.
This allowed the scammers to make unauthorised transactions using these card details.
- THE STRAITS TIMES
-
Do not fall for online concert ticketing scams and take precautions when buying: Police
With several concerts coming up in the second half of this year, the police on Tuesday (July 4) issued an advisory on purchasing tickets online.
The police said that there have been numerous reports in the past two years of online purchase scams involving concert tickets. Victims were purportedly cheated by online sellers who pretended to be re-selling the tickets.
"The victims did not receive the tickets as the online sellers could not be contacted after payments were made,"the police said.
Members of the public are advised to purchase tickets only from authorised sellers, and to take note of the terms and conditions of the sale.
"If advanced payments are required, use shopping platforms that provide arrangements to only release your payment to the seller upon your receipt of the item," the police added.
Another security measure is to physically meet the seller to verify the authenticity of the tickets before paying, since the other party is a stranger.
The public may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 for more scam-related advice, or visit www.scamalert.sg.
-
.
-
Thanks for sharing
-
Phone scammers now pretending to be telco staff: Police
The next time you receive a call from someone who claims to be from your telecommunications company, you might want to listen attentively to avoid being scammed.
According to the police, members of the public have been receiving phone calls from callers claiming to be staff from telcos based in either China or Singapore.
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS
The recipients of such calls would first hear an automated Mandarin voice message telling them that their phone lines would be terminated and that they had to enter '1' to get further instructions from either the Chinese police or telecommunications company staff.
Recipients were then told that a mobile phone number registered under their names had been used for illicit activities such as operating an online gambling website and access to illegal websites, and so on.
The Mandarin-speaking operator would then go on to ask for personal information such as name, identification card number, nationality and contact number in order to 'assist' in resolving the matter.
PHONE CALL WITH LOCAL NUMBER MAY NOT BE MADE HERE
Police say such scammers may use Caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and display a different number.
What this means is that calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore.
Police advised the public to hang up the call if you receive a suspicious call from a local number. It is also best to wait five minutes before calling back to check the validity of the nuimber.
Police also said to not follow the caller's instructions and do not give out personal information and bank details, whether on the website or to calls over the phone.
Personal information and bank details such as internet bank account usernames and passwords, OTP codes from tokens, are useful to criminals.
WHEN DO TELCOS CALL?
According to StarHub, the telco typically reaches out to customers if the customer calls in first to engage their services. StarHub normally calls a customer back to answer requests put in by them.
A StarHub spokesperson added that they conduct cross-verifications with the customers during the calls to establish their identity accurately and to inform the customers that it is a legitimate call from StarHub.
He also told AsiaOne that customers who receive calls from suspicious numbers claiming to be from the company should immediately ignore and disregard the call. Personal details should not be given out at all, said the spokesperson.
To seek scam-related advice, call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722- 6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg.