ScamShield operator stops man, who locked himself in bedroom, from losing life savings to scammers

SINGAPORE – When Mr Aidil, 27, saw his father suddenly lock himself in his bedroom in December 2024 to answer a phone call, he became suspicious.

His father, 63, got a call from a man claiming to be a DBS Bank officer investigating a $4,000 transaction made on his credit card, despite him not owning one.

The “officer” told his father someone had impersonated him to sign up for a credit card, and that he would be under investigation. His call was then transferred to a “police officer”, who questioned him.

Mr Aidil’s father, who was worried that he had broken the law, locked himself in his room as instructed by the “cop”.

Afraid that his father might do something rash, Mr Aidil called the ScamShield helpline.

On Feb 19, Mr Aidil, who works in business development and declined to reveal his full name, recounted how his father, who works part-time in the security industry, almost lost his life savings.

He was speaking during a media interview organised by the police about the helpline’s benefits.

In 2024, scam numbers hit a record high, with victims losing at least $1.1 billion.

This was a 70.6 per cent increase from the $651.8 million lost in 2023, said the police.

Mr Aidil happened to be home when he saw his father hole himself up in his room at about 11am.

He said: “I tried to ask my father to come out to talk to me about it, but he refused.”

He frantically searched online for help and found the 24-hour ScamShield helpline (1799), operated by the National Crime Prevention Council.

Launched in September 2024, it helps the public

verify the authenticity of unknown calls and messages

, and provides anti-scam tips.

The helpline receives about 500 calls a day, according to statistics released by the police on Feb 25.

Helpline operator Felicia Ng, 39, answered Mr Aidil’s call and spoke with his father for over an hour to convince him he had been scammed.

Ms Ng, who was present at the interview, recalled pointing out several red flags to his father.

She said: “I told him a police officer would never force anyone to lock themselves in a room and not talk to their family. But he refused to believe me and said he was not allowed to talk to me as his case was sensitive.”

The fake cops had asked Mr Aidil’s father for a photo of the front and back of his NRIC, and of himself. He also had to report his location to them every morning and afternoon – things real police officers would not ask for.

Said Ms Ng: “The turning point came when he provided me the ‘police officer’s’ information, which the scammer gave him. I told him there was no such police officer after verifying it, and he finally believed me.”

Ms Ng told Mr Aidil’s father to contact his bank and lodge a police report, as his details had been compromised.

She then helped him install the ScamShield app on his phone.

While most calls Ms Ng answers last five to eight minutes, the hour-long call with Mr Aidil’s father was worth it.

Said Ms Ng: “Hearing the caller’s sense of relief is what we treasure the most, and we get a sense of satisfaction when they’re convinced it’s a scam.”

Mr Aidil was grateful to Ms Ng, saying: “My father is nearing retirement. To have a scammer come close to getting his life savings is scary, and I’m glad it did not happen.”

In 2024, of the

$1.1 billion lost to scams,

more than $182 million was recovered by the Anti-Scam Command, putting the net loss at about $930 million.

Some victims were not so lucky.

John (not his real name), 35, who works as a cyber analyst, told reporters during the interview that his aunt, 90, lost $500,000 after lending money to two friends who fell for a cryptocurrency scam in December 2024.

Cryptocurrency losses accounted for 24.3 per cent of the total scam losses in 2024, an increase from 6.8 per cent in 2023.

He said the friends, who were in their 50s, transferred money to an overseas “law enforcement officer” who promised to help them recover their lost funds from cryptocurrency trading.

He was shocked when his aunt said she already lent them about $300,000.

John visited his aunt to stop her from lending more money to her friends, who were on the phone with the scammer.

He said: “At that point, I was quite certain it was a scam, but my aunt was not convinced, because she trusted her friends more than us.”

She transferred another $100,000 to her friends that night.

On his way home, John saw a notice on the helpline pasted at the lift lobby of his aunt’s block and called it.

He said: “The operator explained this was likely a

recovery service scam

, and told me to try and convince my aunt to

lock her funds

and refer her friends to the helpline.”

Despite his warning, John’s aunt lent another $100,000 to her friends before realising she had been scammed.

They filed a police report, and he installed the ScamShield app on her phone. Police investigations are ongoing.

John said: “She believed she was helping her friends, but she did not know what they did with the money.

“Now my aunt is more guarded and vigilant, and I’ve told her to inform us before lending money to anyone.”