SINGAPORE - Scammers have been targeting victims using phone numbers that appear to be from government agencies, the police said on Monday (April 2).

In a statement, the Singapore Police Force said it was aware that some members of the public have received calls from scammers that claim the victims had parcels containing illegal goods, or that they had committed criminal offences.

The scammers spoke in both English and Mandarin and used masked numbers including 6325-0000, which belongs to the Commercial Affairs Department of SPF, and 6376-0000, which belongs to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

The police on Monday (April 2) clarified that the calls, made through an automated operator system, were not from SPF or CPIB officers.

"Such calls are typical scammers' tactics where caller ID spoofing technology may be used to mask the actual phone number and a different number is displayed," said SPF.

CPIB also said in a Facebook post on Monday that its officers did not make such calls relating to the collection of documents or parcels.

"CPIB takes a serious view of such scam calls as it undermines public trust in the Bureau," it wrote.

It asked for anyone with more information related to the scam calls to submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness or call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000.

The police advised the public to take the following precautions if they receive such scam calls.

- Ignore the calls and the callers' instructions;

- Call back to verify if the call was indeed made from the phone number displayed;

- Do not provide your name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account, credit card details or other banking information such as usernames and passwords;

- Remember that no government agency will ask for personal details or a transfer of money over the phone or through automated voice machines;

- When in doubt, visit www.scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam helpline on 1800-722-6688.