DPM Heng warns of ‘malicious scammer’ sending e-mails in his name
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The phishing appears to take place under the pretext of “DPM Heng” needing the recipient’s help to “discreetly” pick up some gifts.
PHOTO: HENG SWEET KEAT/FACEBOOK
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has warned of a phishing e-mail scam that uses his name, the latest in a string of ruses involving the impersonation of government officials.
In a Facebook post on June 26, DPM Heng attached a screengrab of the scam e-mail which said “Recognizing Excellence – Swift Reaction!!” in the subject line and showed the sender’s e-mail address as “ giftbox291@gmail.com
DPM Heng wrote in the post that there was a “malicious scammer” sending e-mails in his name, and pointed out that “you can tell from the e-mail domain” that he was not the sender.
The phishing – or solicitation of sensitive information – appears to take place on the pretext of “DPM Heng” needing the recipient’s help to “discreetly” pick up some gifts.
“Remember that ministry or government officials will not ask for personal information like your PIN number, OTP (one-time password) or bank account details over e-mail,” DPM Heng said.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on June 2 also warned of a deepfake video that had his likeness exhorting viewers to sign up for an investment product.
SM Lee said then that the scammers had not only mimicked his voice and layered the fake audio over actual footage of him delivering the 2023 National Day message, but also synchronised his mouth movements with the audio.
He added that it was a worrying sign of the progress of deepfake technology.
The video came six months after another similar deepfake video that involved the likeness of SM Lee surfaced.
In March, Singapore Customs also warned of scam e-mails that were sent using the name of its director-general, Mr Tan Hung Hooi.
More information on the latest scams can be found at
Members of the public can also report scams via the ScamShield Bot on WhatsApp at go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot
