More than $650,000 lost in Singapore to fake friend scams since April
At least 187 cases of this nature have been reported since April, the police said in a press statement dated May 26. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
More than $650,000 lost in Singapore to fake friend scams since April
SINGAPORE – Since April, victims have lost at least $653,000 to fake friends scams in Singapore.
At least 187 cases of this nature have been reported in that time, the police said in a press statement on May 26, marking a resurgence of this scam type.
In these cases, victims would receive unsolicited WhatsApp messages or phone calls from local mobile lines, from scammers claiming to be their friend.
The scammer would ask the victim to guess their identity, before assuming the name of the said friend, and asking the victim to update their contact details.
Subsequently, scammers would contact the victims, asking them for loans, or to help them perform a banking transaction. Victims would then be provided with a local bank account, PayNow number or QR code to transfer money to.
They would discover that they had been scammed after contacting their actual friends or acquaintances whom the scammers had impersonated, or when their loan was not returned.
The police advises members of the public to be wary of anyone who contacts them via an unknown number to ask for urgent loans, and not to accede to their request unless their identity has been adequately verified.
To learn more about scams, members of the public can visit http://www.scamshield.gov.sg/ or call the 24/7 ScamShield hotline at 1799.
Those with more information about such scams can also call the police at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at http://www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Lawyer for Sean ‘Diddy' Combs accuses witness of lying about balcony attack
Sean "Diddy" Combs speaking to his lawyers in a court sketch, before the start of the day's proceedings on June 5. PHOTO: REUTERS NEW YORK - A lawyer for Sean "Diddy" Combs accused a witness at his sex trafficking trial on June 5 of falsely testifying that the hip-hop mogul held her over the balcony of a Los Angeles apartment, and suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack. Ms Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Combs' former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, testified on June 4 that Combs in September 2016 held her over the rail of the balcony at Ventura's apartment and then threw her onto the balcony's furniture, causing her bruises. Prosecutors say the incident was among several violent acts that Combs, 55, took against Ventura and people close to her during the decade he was coercing Ventura to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "freak offs." Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Ms Bongolan had not stated the exact date of the alleged balcony attack during her testimony on June 4. Jurors on June 4 saw a picture Ms Bongolan took of a bruise on her leg taken on Sept 26, 2016. A civil lawsuit Ms Bongolan filed against Combs in 2024 said the incident took place "on or about Sept 26, 2016." On June 5, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland asked Ms Bongolan if she was aware that Combs performed at a concert in New Jersey on Sept 25, 2016, and attended an event in New York with Ventura the following day. Westmoreland also showed jurors a document from the Trump International hotel in New York indicating that someone named "Frank Black" stayed there from Sept 24, 2016, through Sept 29, 2016. Previous witnesses at the trial have testified that Combs, like other celebrities, frequently used aliases when staying at hotels. "You came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, didn't you?" Ms Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Ms Bongolan replied. Ms Bryana Bongolan (right) leaving court after testifying on June 4. PHOTO: REUTERS Under further questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser, Ms Bongolan said she did not know the exact date of the incident because it happened 'a while ago', but said she had no doubt it took place. 'I will never forget him holding me on that balcony,' Ms Bongolan said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
UK teens sentenced for killing 80-year-old grandfather
Mr Bhim Kohli was walking his dog in a park when he was attacked by a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. PHOTO: X/@LEICSPOLICE LONDON - A UK judge on June 5 sentenced a 15-year-old boy to seven years' detention for the 'wicked' killing of an octogenarian grandfather, but a girl who filmed the attack on her phone was spared custody. The killing of Bhim Kohli, 80, as he walked his dog in a park on the outskirts of Leicester in central England in September 2024 is one of several cases of youth violence that has shocked the UK in past months. The boy, who was 14 and wearing a balaclava at the time of the killing punched, kicked and racially abused Mr Kohli during the attack. He suffered a broken neck and rib fractures and died in hospital the following day after being found lying on the ground by his children. The girl, then aged 12, encouraged the assault and laughed as she filmed it on a phone. She later stored a series of clips of the violence in a password protected folder on Snapchat. Passing sentence, judge Mark Turner told the boy: 'What you did was wicked. You made a cowardly and violent attack on an elderly man.' He sentenced the girl, now aged 13, to a three-year youth rehabilitation order and an evening curfew. Mr Kohli's family told the court in a victim impact statement they were haunted by how his attackers left him 'on his own, helpless and in pain' just a short distance from his home. 'Losing dad in these cruel, violent and deeply shocking circumstances feels like our hearts have been pulled apart,' his daughter, Ms Susan Kohli, said. The teenagers, who cannot be named because of their ages, were convicted of manslaughter in April following a six-week trial. The boy had also been charged with murder but was found not guilty on that count. Speaking outside Leicester Crown Court after the sentencing, Ms Susan Kohli added that she was 'angry and disappointed' by the leniency of the sentences. 'I believe on that day the two teenagers made a choice. The teenage boy chose to attack my dad and the girl chose to film him being attacked. They knew what they were doing,' she told reporters. 'I feel angry and disappointed that the sentence they have both received today does not, I believe, reflect the severity of the crime they committed,' she said. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
Russian media outlet says investigators search its editorial office
MOSCOW - A Russian media outlet in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg said on Thursday that investigators were conducting searches in its editorial office. one of the largest media outlets in the Urals, said searches were also being conducted in the flats of several journalists. "Investigators are interested in sources of information about events of a criminal nature in the Sverdlovsk region," said in a statement. There was no official comment from investigators. published video of officials in uniform in an office and masked investigators with sledge hammers. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
