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Why people fall prey to scammers posing as police officers
In the first half of 2024, 580 Singapore residents fell prey to the scam – a 58 per cent rise from the same period last year
Police figures show that government impersonation scam victims lost an average of $116,534, the highest among all scam types in the first half of 2024.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Kareyst Lin, Brand Newsroom
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Your phone rings. It’s an unknown number. The caller claims to be a cop.
Your heart skips a beat as he explains that your name is tied to a money laundering case. The “police officer” urges you to act fast and follow his instructions to help with “investigations”.
What do you do? Comply? Protest your innocence? Check?
This scenario is becoming more common in Singapore. Police figures show that 580 people fell prey to government official impersonation scams in the first half of 2024 – a 58 per cent rise from 367 over the same period last year.
The damage: Each victim of this particular scam type lost an average of $116,534, the highest among all scam types, Singapore Police Force (SPF) figures reveal.
Two main variants of the scam
Impersonation of bank staff and local government officials:
- Victims receive unsolicited calls from a “bank staff” (a scammer) seeking verification on banking transactions allegedly conducted by victims.
- When victims deny making such transactions or possessing such bank cards, the “bank staff” would transfer the call to a second scammer claiming to be a government official – such as from SPF or the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
- This second scammer would accuse victims of being involved in criminal activities like money laundering. In some cases, victims could be transferred to a third scammer for “further investigations”.
- Under the guise of investigation or to safekeep funds, scammers would instruct victims to transfer money to bank accounts “designated by the authorities”.
Impersonation of China government officials, bank staff and local government officials:
- Victims receive unsolicited calls from “government officials” or “bank staff”. These are scammers who would allege that victims had applied for credit cards, bank accounts or phone numbers that were involved in criminal activities.
- In some cases, scammers would also claim that victims were involved in spreading false rumours or information, had parcels under their names containing prohibited goods, or had made illegal purchases.
- When victims deny involvement, the call would be transferred to a second scammer claiming to be a China government official (such as the China police), who would then accuse victims of being involved in criminal activities like money laundering.
- Under pretexts – like investigation, safekeeping funds, or to pay bail – scammers would instruct victims to transfer money to bank accounts “designated by China authorities”.
The police note that there were also cases where victims received unsolicited calls directly from a fake SPF officer, instead of bank staff or other government officials initiating the first contact.
Why are so many falling for government official impersonation scams?
Mr Jeffrey Chin, deputy director of the Scam Public Education Office, SPF, points to two reasons: The high level of trust in authorities in Singapore, and scammers’ use of psychological techniques to influence victims.
Scammers instil fear in victims by accusing them of being involved in a criminal offence, explains Mr Chin.
“They exploit victims’ trust in authority figures and create situations where victims (get) limited time to make decisions,” he adds. “Some may even use ‘props’ such as fake warrant cards or documents to (make themselves seem legitimate).”
Ways to stay safe
- Unsure if the SMS is from the Government? Since July 1, all SMSes sent from government agencies show “gov.sg” as the sender ID. Look out for these four key indicators.
- Friend or fraudster: When you receive unusual requests from a “friend” via text message or phone call, beware. Verify their identity first. More on how fake friend call scams work.
So how can you tell if the unknown caller is truly an SPF officer or a scammer?
Mr Chin says that SPF officers will never ask you to do the following over the phone or through text message:
- Transfer money to bank accounts,
- Request your personal details such as NRIC numbers, and banking, Singpass or CPF-related information,
- Ask you to click on links that lead to bank websites, or
- Ask you to install applications or software from third-party websites.
This is part of a series titled “Act against scams”, in partnership with the Singapore Police Force.
