ez-link, SimplyGo ads on social media platforms may be phishing scams: Police

SINGAPORE – If you have seen ez-link or SimplyGo advertisements on social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok or Instagram recently, be warned: They may be phishing scams.

On April 29, the police said they have received at least 36 reports of victims falling prey to such scams since April 1, with at least $35,000 in losses. In March,

at least 97 victims lost $156,000

to similar scams.

All promotions for ez-link and Nets FlashPay cards are conducted only on SimplyGo and Nets websites and their respective social media pages, the police added.

They said SimplyGo does not offer a “$1.99 for unlimited travel” deal, and Nets does not have a “$6 for unlimited travel” promotion.

The victims clicked on advertisements or posts on social media platforms offering low-cost promotions for unlimited transport while using ez-link and Nets FlashPay cards. These advertisements or posts may also impersonate EZ-Link, SimplyGo or the Land Transport Authority.

Upon clicking on the link, the victims were redirected to a phishing website, where they were prompted to key in their credit or debit card details, banking credentials and one-time passwords to purchase transportation cards.

In some cases, victims may also be asked to participate in online games or questionnaires to qualify for the “promotion”.

They would discover that they had been scammed after uncovering unauthorised transactions in their bank accounts or credit cards, and in some cases, Grab or GrabPay wallets.

Scam victims in Singapore suffered losses amounting to

$1.1 billion in 2024

– the highest amount of losses incurred in a year.

In 2024, phishing scams were the third most common scam type, with $59.4 million in losses, more than four times the amount lost in 2023.