Beware of impersonation scams involving virtual meetings with ‘government officials’
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In some cases, victims would be asked to provide their e-mail addresses to receive a “non-disclosure agreement” for a meeting with a high-profile figure, like a senior government official.
PHOTOS: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
SINGAPORE – Be wary of invitations to virtual meetings with high-profile figures – such as senior government officials, members of royalty and celebrities – as they might be scams.
In such scams, victims are approached via social media or direct communication platforms such as WhatsApp or Telegram, the police said in an advisory on May 6.
The scammers would then try to persuade the victims to transfer funds for investment purposes or other reasons, said the police, warning against false offers of gifts or invitations to join a royal family, among other ruses.
In some cases, the fraudsters ask victims to attend a “virtual meeting with the president, ministers and other government officials” and to provide their e-mail addresses to receive a “non-disclosure agreement (NDA)” for the meeting.
They would then be asked to endorse the sham NDA and provide a copy of their identification card.
The victims would realise they had been scammed only after being asked to perform additional fund transfers, or when they verified the meetings or requests with those who had been impersonated.
Separately, in a Facebook post on May 6, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) warned the public against scam e-mails claiming to be from the agency and asking for the payment of outstanding parking fines.
These e-mails include a “Pay Now” button with information on the alleged parking fines, and URA’s contact number for carpark-related inquiries and website address.
“This e-mail is not from URA. Members of the public are advised to not click on any links or make payment through the e-mail,” said the agency, which has alerted the police to the scam.
Official URA notices for parking fine payments are sent in hard copy by post and electronically via platforms with the “gov.sg” sender ID, and payment of fines should be made only via URA’s website or AXS channels.
Those who wish to check on their outstanding parking fines can visit URA’s website at go.gov.sg/ura-pf
The public is reminded to never transfer money or provide identification card details to strangers or people whose identities have not been verified.
Singapore government officials will never ask members of the public to transfer funds, disclose bank login details, install mobile apps from unofficial app stories or transfer a call to the police or any other government officials, the police said.
