Police warn against fake SPF website phishing for confidential details

A screenshot of the fake SPF website, which scammers would use to obtain the personal information of victims. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
Screenshot of the e-services page of the legitimate Singapore Police Force website. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM POLICE.GOV.SG

SINGAPORE - Just four months after two men were jailed for their role in police impersonation scams here, yet another scam of the sort has reared its ugly head.

On Saturday (Jan 12), the police issued an advisory about a police impersonation scam in the form of a fake Singapore Police Force (SPF) website.

In this scam, victims would typically receive calls from scammers, claiming that the victims are the holders of bank accounts with large amounts of money. The scammers would further claim that the victims are suspected of being involved in criminal activities such as money laundering.

Victims would then be given a link to a website that resembles the SPF website.

While on the site, they would be asked to provide confidential information such as credit card details and Internet banking credentials, purportedly for investigation purposes.

However, the site would actually be a phishing site in disguise, designed to extract personal information and banking details from unsuspecting victims.

The official SPF website is www.police.gov.sg

The police advised members of the public to take precautions when receiving unsolicited calls, especially when such calls come from unknown parties.

They should ignore such calls, as scammers may use caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number they are calling from and display a different number.

This means that calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore.

If you receive a suspicious call from a local number, hang up, wait a while, then call the number back to check the validity of the request.

Members of the public are also advised to ignore instructions to remit or transfer money. The police said that no government agency will request for a transfer of money or for personal details over the phone or through automated voice machines.

Finally, members of the public should refrain from giving out personal information and bank details, whether on the fake website or to callers over the phone. Personal information such as Internet bank account usernames and passwords, and One Time Password codes from tokens can be misused by criminals.

Anyone who has information related to such crimes or is in doubt can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000, or submit their information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. Those requiring urgent police assistance should dial 999.

To seek scam-related advice, members of the public may call the anti-scam helpline on 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg

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