Police warn of scammers opening payment accounts using doctored soft copies of Singapore identity cards

Some of the misused identity cards belonged to scam victims who had previously provided scammers with soft copies of their identity cards.

“Upon successfully opening these accounts, the scammers would use them for illicit activities, such as receiving scam proceeds from victims,” the police added.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore has alerted all financial institutions of this modus operandi, and the affected providers have tightened their measures, said the police.

“Financial institutions have also been reminded to review and ensure that their customer onboarding processes are sufficiently robust to prevent scammers from exploiting their services,” they added.

The police pointed out that the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore encourages businesses to use Singpass for user verification instead of soft copy identity cards for sensitive online transactions, like the creation of payment services or bank accounts.

Businesses should also monitor and report suspicious transactions when new accounts are created.

Members of the public are advised not to share their personal identification documents without first verifying the legitimacy and purpose of those asking for them.

Anyone found guilty of forging a document or electronic record, with the intent to use it for cheating, faces up to 10 years in jail and a fine.