Police warn against phishing scams via Google Meet video calls involving fake cops
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The police advised members of the public to be wary of unsolicited video calls received from unknown sources.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
SINGAPORE – There have been 13 cases of phishing scams reported since April 1 that involve Google Meet video calls by individuals impersonating police officers.
In an advisory on April 19, the police said the total losses during this period amounted to at least $32,000.
In this scam variant, the victims would receive unsolicited Google Meet video calls from scammers who are wearing police uniforms, posing as cops.
In some cases, the scammers would use the Singapore Police Force (SPF) logo as their profile picture. Some of the e-mail addresses used for the Google Meet video calls may contain terms such as “Singapore” or “Police”.
Total losses from 13 cases of phishing scams reported since April 1, amounted to at least $32,000.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
The scammers would allege that there are issues with the victims’ bank cards or accounts, and would then ask the victims to provide their iBanking credentials, card credentials and/or one-time password, allegedly for the purpose of investigations.
The victims would realise that they had been scammed only when they discovered unauthorised transactions in their bank accounts.
The police advised members of the public to be wary of unsolicited video calls received from unknown sources.
“SPF officers will never contact you over non-official channels. Do not provide sensitive information such as iBanking, card credentials or one-time passwords to anyone,” said the police.
A Google spokesperson told The Straits Times on April 20: “The most effective way to prevent unsolicited or anonymous calls is to check the ‘Only contacts can call me’ setting. This is one of many layered protections in place to help block phishing and impersonation on Google Meet, on top of our built-in privacy tools.
“We encourage users to report ‘spam or abuse’ directly within a call and report suspicious behaviour.
“This helps our systems learn and improve to combat scammers. We encourage everyone to stay vigilant and use these features to stay safe online.”
The police added that Singapore government officials, including police officers, will never ask members of the public to do the following:
To transfer or hand over valuables such as money, luxury watches, gold or cryptocurrency
To disclose banking login details
To install mobile apps from unofficial app stores
Transfer calls to the police or any other government officials
