Caller claims victim has missed court hearing, needs to give bank account details
By
Khushwant Singh
At least 90 people have received calls from con men masquerading as Supreme Court staff since last week. A similar impersonation scam in 2007 saw 29 victims duped of a total of $275,500. -- ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: LIM SIN THAI
THE authorities are reminding people here not to share their personal details over the phone with strangers, after a spate of calls by con men masquerading as staff from the Supreme Court.
Since last week, at least 90 people have received calls from the con men telling them they had missed court appearances, and that the callers needed their bank account details and deposited amounts for official purposes.
In a press advisory on Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that its officers never ask for personal information such as financial data over the telephone.
One victim related her experience to The Straits Times.
Ms Beverly Lee, 49, a teacher, got a call on April 20 from a woman claiming to be 'Ellen Chan Ching Peng' from the Supreme Court.
According to the caller, Ms Lee was accused of involvement with a loan shark. However, she had not replied to two letters from the court and failed to attend a hearing on April 13.
The woman then said an officer from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would be calling Ms Lee in a few minutes.
A man then called and asked Ms Lee if she had ever lost her identity card or had any connections with unlicensed moneylenders.
Impressed with his professionalism, she was convinced he was a police officer and went on to answer his questions regarding her bank accounts and the amount in her Maybank account.
She also recalled that the two scammers spoke good English but with a mainland Chinese accent.
