SINGAPORE – At least $5.4 million has been lost since April in scams involving the impersonation of government officials where victims made ATM cash transfers or handed over their bank cards.
At least 68 of such cases have been reported in the past month, said the police in a statement on May 4.
In this scam variant, victims would receive unsolicited calls from scammers who pretend to be representatives from banks or telecommunications companies, said the police.
The scammers would claim that the victims had unauthorised bank transactions, signed telecoms service contracts or purchased new phones.
The victims would then be transferred to another scammer claiming to be a government official from the police, the Monetary Authority of Singapore or the Ministry of Law who would then accuse the victims of being involved in criminal activities.
Victims would be instructed by the scammers to assist in fake investigations by making cash transfers or deposits via an ATM into a “safe account”, the police said.
