Latest news with #ScamShield
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- AsiaOne
DBS staff, police stop 2 victims from losing $820k to government official impersonation scams, Singapore News
DBS staff helped an elderly woman from being scammed twice and referred the case to the police. The police said in a news release on Thursday (May 29) that the 77-year-old woman had tried withdrawing $200,000 in cash at DBS' Holland Village branch on April 2. When asked about the transaction, she said the money was for her nephew's wedding, even though she had already withdrawn $160,000 the day before. Suspicious, the staff referred her to the DBS Bank Anti-Scam team, who sought assistance from the police's Anti-Scam Centre (ASC). ACS officers engaged the elderly woman and learnt that she had been contacted by an unknown caller claiming to be "telecommunications company staff' who transferred her to scammers posing as the "Hong Kong police" and "staff" from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The "Hong Kong police" had told the victim that she was under investigation for money laundering and instructed her to withdraw $620,000 and hand it over to the "MAS staff" for investigation. Thanks to DBS' escalation of the case and intervention by ASC, the woman was prevented from losing $620,000. Suspicious activities detected in scammers' bank account In a separate government official impersonation scam case, the police said a 44-year-old man had been contacted by a caller claiming to be a "Citibank staff" on April 2 and told him that a credit card that he applied for was used to purchase cryptocurrency. When the man denied applying for the credit card, the "Citibank staff" referred him to a scammer impersonating a "MAS staff". The "MAS staff" then told the man that he was under investigation for money laundering and needed to transfer $200,000 to a DBS bank account provided by the scammer for investigation purposes. The man was also asked by the scammer to share his screen via WhatsApp while making the transfer. Fortunately, the transfer was intercepted by DBS' Anti-Mule Team, which detected suspicious activities in the scammers' bank account because of anti-scam measures implemented by ASC and the Singpass Anti-Fraud Team. The police advised the public to take precautions to avoid falling for scams by using the ACT (Add, Check, Tell) framework. This involves adding the ScamShield app and setting security features like banking transaction limits. The public can also call the ScamShield helpline at 1799 for more information on scams and check the legitimacy of suspicious messages, phone numbers and website links via the ScamShield app or website. [[nid:718334]]
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Singapore police arrest 9, seize S$1.9mil in anti-scam operation
Nine people – seven men and two women between the ages of 18 and 33 – were arrested. - SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE SINGAPORE: About S$1.9 million in suspected scam proceeds were seized by the police's Anti-Scam Command (ASC) in a near month-long joint operation targeting government official impersonation, investment and job scams. In a media statement on May 29, the police said that 400 bank accounts were also frozen in the operation, which took place from April 15 to May 13 and involved officers from ASC working with the police land divisions' Scam Strike teams and participating local banks. Island-wide raids were conducted to locate those suspected of handing their bank accounts over to scammers for use in money laundering activities. Nine people – seven men and two women between the ages of 18 and 33 – were arrested, and another 33 people are being investigated. The 42 people are believed to be involved in more than 200 cases of scams. The police also disrupted over 900 online enablers and terminate more than 806 phone lines used in the scams. Police investigations are ongoing. Those convicted of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct in certain circumstances may be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $50,000, or both. For the offence of unauthorised access to computer material, convicted individuals may be jailed up to two years, fined $5,000, or both. The police advised members of the public to always reject requests by others to use their SingPass credentials, bank accounts or mobile lines to avoid being held accountable for their misuse. For more information on scams, visit or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
$1.9m seized in police operation targeting scam activities; 9 arrested
Nine people – seven men and two women between the ages of 18 and 33 – were arrested. PHOTOS: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE SINGAPORE - About $1.9 million in suspected scam proceeds were seized by the police's Anti-Scam Command (ASC) in a near month-long joint operation targeting government official impersonation, investment and job scams. In a media statement on May 29, the police said that 400 bank accounts were also frozen in the operation, which took place from April 15 to May 13 and involved officers from ASC working with the police land divisions' Scam Strike teams and participating local banks. Island-wide raids were conducted to locate those suspected of handing their bank accounts over to scammers for use in money laundering activities. Nine people – seven men and two women between the ages of 18 and 33 – were arrested, and another 33 people are being investigated. The 42 people are believed to be involved in more than 200 cases of scams. The police also disrupted over 900 online enablers and terminate more than 806 phone lines used in the scams. Police investigations are ongoing. Those convicted of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct in certain circumstances may be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $50,000, or both . For the offence of unauthorised access to computer material, convicted individuals may be jailed up to two years, fined $5,000, or both . The police advised members of the public to always reject requests by others to use their SingPass credentials, bank accounts or mobile lines to avoid being held accountable for their misuse. For more information on scams, visit or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
New Paper
3 days ago
- New Paper
22 nabbed for suspected involvement in government official impersonation scams
A total of 22 people, aged between 22 and 56, were arrested for their suspected involvement in the recent spate of government official impersonation scam cases. In a news release on May 28, police said the 17 men and five women were nabbed following islandwide anti-scam operations conducted between March 13 and May 22. Another four men and five women, aged between 22 and 77, are assisting in the investigations. Police said they have received several reports of scam cases involving the impersonation of banks and government officials since early March. The victim would first receive an unsolicited call from a scammer impersonating a bank officer, typically from DBS, OCBC, UOB or Standard Chartered Bank, or a staff of China-based services such as Union Pay and WeChat, police said. The scammer would tell the victim that he or she was suspected of being involved in a criminal matter, then connect them to another scammer posing as a police officer. This "police officer" would convince the victim to surrender valuables such as cash, jewellery and bank cards to an "agent" for investigation. In some cases, the victims would be instructed to buy gold bars, which they would then give up to an "agent". Preliminary investigations showed that the 31 people had allegedly facilitated such scam cases by collecting the valuables from the victims. These mules would meet the victims in public places to collect the items from them. They would later hand the items over to another mule, or leave them unattended at a public place to be picked up later. "Victims would only realise that they had been scammed when the scammers become uncontactable or when they sought verifications with the banks or SPF," police said. Police investigations are ongoing. Those convicted of assisting another to retain benefits from a scam could face a jail term of up to three years, a fine, or both. "The police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law," they added. "To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or mobile lines as you will be held accountable if these are linked to crimes." Government officials will never, over a phone call, ask them to transfer money, disclose bank log-in details, install mobile apps from unofficial app stores or transfer their call to the police, they said. Police also encouraged members of the public to adopt crime prevention measures, such as installing the ScamShield app, setting security features and checking for scam signs with official sources. In 2024, victims lost a total of $1.1 billion to scams - a record high for a single year. Police also saw the highest number of scam reports ever in the same year, with 51,501 cases recorded compared with 46,563 cases in 2023.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
22 nabbed for suspected involvement in government official impersonation scams
Investigations showed that the suspects had allegedly facilitated scams by collecting items such as cash, bank cards and jewellery from the victims. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE SINGAPORE – A total of 22 people, aged between 22 and 56 , were arrested for their suspected involvement in the recent spate of government official impersonation scam cases. In a news release on May 28, police said the 17 men and five women were nabbed following islandwide anti-scam operations conducted between March 13 and May 22 . Another four men and five women, aged between 22 and 77 , are assisting in the investigations. Police said they have received several reports of scam cases involving the impersonation of banks and government officials since early March. The victim would first receive an unsolicited call from a scammer impersonating a bank officer, typically from DBS, OCBC, UOB or Standard Chartered Bank, or a staff of China-based services such as Union Pay and WeChat, police said. The scammer would tell the victim that he or she was suspected of being involved in a criminal matter, then connect them to another scammer posing as a police officer. This 'police officer' would convince the victim to surrender valuables such as cash, jewellery and bank cards to an 'agent' for investigation. In some cases, the victims would be instructed to buy gold bars, which they would then give up to an 'agent'. Preliminary investigations showed that the 31 people had allegedly facilitated such scam cases by collecting the valuables from the victims. These mules would meet the victims in public places to collect the items from them. They would later hand the items over to another mule, or leave them unattended at a public place to be picked up later. 'Victims would only realise that they had been scammed when the scammers become uncontactable or when they sought verifications with the banks or SPF,' police said. Police investigations are ongoing. Those convicted of assisting another to retain benefits from a scam could face a jail term of up to three years, a fine, or both. 'The police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law,' they added. 'To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or mobile lines as you will be held accountable if these are linked to crimes.' Government officials will never, over a phone call, ask them to transfer money, disclose bank log-in details, install mobile apps from unofficial app stores or transfer their call to the police, they said. Police also encouraged members of the public to adopt crime prevention measures, such as installing the ScamShield app, setting security features and checking for scam signs with official sources. In 2024, victims lost a total of $1.1 billion to scams – a record high for a single year. Police also saw the highest number of scam reports ever in the same year, with 51,501 cases recorded compared with 46,563 cases in 2023. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
