Beware of scammers posing as Ministry of Law officers, say Singapore police

SINGAPORE – Be careful if you get a call from someone who claims to work for the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and needs your assistance in his investigations.

This is likely to be an impersonation scam.

In a joint statement on Sept 4, the police and MinLaw said there have been multiple calls received by victims from such scammers, including a caller falsely identifying himself as a MinLaw officer named Jason Lam or Lam Teck Yong Jason.

The authorities added that there is no such officer in MinLaw.

In this scam variant, victims would receive unsolicited calls from local phone numbers, from an individual posing as a MinLaw officer.

The scammer would claim to be investigating the victim for his or her involvement in money laundering and ask for pictures of the victim’s NRIC to be sent for verification.

In some cases, the victim may also receive falsified documents resembling official ones from the authorities and a doctored image of a MinLaw staff pass, via a WhatsApp message or a video call, to enhance the scammer’s credibility.

Victims would be tricked into believing that they are under investigation and to disclose
their personal information – including bank account details, personal particulars, Singpass password or one-time passwords – or to transfer money to a bank account to assist in investigations.

They may also be asked to meet the scammer in person, and to hand over cash and valuable items.

Victims would realise they had been scammed only when the scammers become uncontactable.

The police said victims may also be asked to hand over pre-signed cheques, which would later be encashed, with funds being withdrawn.

The authorities urge members of the public to remain vigilant against government official impersonation scams involving the use of WhatsApp calls, and to activate the “silence unknown callers” function on WhatsApp.

The authorities said government officers, including MinLaw officers, will never ask members of the public to transfer money, disclose banking details, or install mobile apps from unofficial app stores over the phone.

If in doubt, call the ScamShield helpline on 1799 to check.

For more information on scams, visit 

www.scamshield.gov.sg

Singapore saw

$456.4 million lost to scams

in the first half of 2025, with almost 20,000 cases reported, although this was lower than in the same period in 2024.

Investment scams and government official impersonation scams have caused significant losses, with the police warning of new insurance services scams that emerged in 2025.