FOURTEEN kidnap scam attempts were foiled by alert POSB bank staff from April to September, but by the first half of this year, 21 people had already been cheated out of a total of $322,000.

In the case of the foiled scams, victims were asked to transfer from $8,000 to $80,000 for the safe return of a kidnapped relative.

Victims of kidnap scams typically receive a phone call informing them that a family member has been kidnapped and will be harmed if a ransom is not paid.

The call may even begin with screams to make victims believe that their relative is being hurt.

Sometimes, scammers tell victims that the 'kidnapped' relative has not paid off illegal loans.