SINGAPORE - There have been several reports of people incurring charges to their mobile phone bills, after providing confidential information to strangers over Facebook, the police said in a Facebook post on Monday (March 27).

The scammers contacted the victims by sending friend requests on the social media platform, even setting up accounts closely resembling their friends in some cases.

They then asked for the victims' mobile phone numbers and service providers.

With that information, the scammers made online purchases of gaming credits or online gift cards.

These purchases were charged to the victims' mobile phone bills, after they provided the One Time Password (OTP) or Verification Code to the scammers.

Only when they received their bills, did they realise they had been scammed.

The police reminded people to not share their personal information with anyone, as it might be useful for scammers.

Friend requests from strangers on social networking sites should also be viewed cautiously, as they may not be who they claim to be.

Any fraudulent charges on your phone bill should be reported to your service provider immediately.

If you are ever in doubt, call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688, or visit www.scamalert.sg.