UOB, police prevented over 900 people from losing about $5.19m through scams
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An Anti-Scam Centre officer working together with UOB Bank during the one-month joint operation.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
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SINGAPORE - More than 900 people targeted by scammers were alerted to stop cash transfers totalling about $5.19 million in a one-month operation by the police and UOB.
From May 15 to June 14, the Singapore Police Force’s Anti-Scam Centre and UOB used technology to automate various processes, such as information sharing and processing, and mass dissemination of SMS alerts to the scam victims.
This helped to speed up intervention efforts and prevented losses, said the police in a statement on Monday.
After tracing fund transfers in real time across more than 700 flagged bank accounts and identifying individuals who had transferred money into these allegedly fraudulent accounts, the police and UOB sent more than 1,300 SMS alerts to the victims.
The victims realised they had been deceived only after receiving the SMS alerts advising them to stop further monetary transfers.
Having bank employees stationed at the Anti-Scam Centre facilitated close collaboration between both sides, said the police.
They advise the public to avoid falling for scams by adopting the following measures:
Add security features such as the ScamShield app and two-factor authentication for personal accounts. Also, set up transaction limits for Internet banking to limit the amount of funds that could be lost through scams.
Check for potential signs of a scam by asking questions, fact-checking requests for personal information and money transfers, and verifying the legitimacy of online listings and reviews. Take the time to pause and check. If a deal seems too good to be true, it is probably untrue and a scam.
Tell the authorities and others about scam encounters by reporting them to the bank or ScamShield, or by filing a police report. Tell others about ongoing scams and the preventive steps they can take.
For more information on scams, the public can visit www.scamalert.sg www.police.gov.sg/iwitness
