SINGAPORE – Scam victims have lost at least $8.5 million to fraudsters posing as officials from the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) since February, during which at least 98 cases were reported.
In these cases, victims would receive unsolicited calls, messages or e-mails from unknown people posing as staff from telecommunications providers or banks, said the ministry and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a joint release on April 23.
The victims would then be informed of unauthorised applications for bank cards or telecommunications plans and be directed to other unknown individuals purportedly from MinLaw for further assistance.
These scammers would inform the victims of their alleged involvement in criminal activities and instruct them to transfer money to “safety accounts” or hand over valuables to unknown people for investigation purposes.
