‘Don’t be stupid’: TikTokers warn of fake gov.sg Telegram channel spreading GSTV scam links, Singapore News

Fraudsters are once again taking advantage of the upcoming Government cash payouts to hijack Telegram accounts and perpetuate scams, several TikTokers warned.

Content creator Nicole Chen, also known as Nicole Liel, shared a scam message purportedly sent via a “gov.sg” Telegram channel, encouraging recipients to check their eligibility for the GST Voucher (GSTV) cash and Medisave schemes.

“If someone sends you this link, don’t go and press this thing, like legit automatically (sic) you will get hacked,” she said in a video posted on Monday (July 13).

AsiaOne observed that the Telegram channel from which the scam message originated has the same name and display picture as the official “gov.sg” broadcast channel.

However, the infographic in the scam message incorrectly claimed that recipients would receive a GSTV cash payment amount of $1,000, and a MediSave top-up sum of $850 in the August disbursement.

The channel appeared to contain only two messages — one on the GSTV scheme and another on the CDC voucher scheme — and lacked the blue verification tick of the genuine “gov.sg” channel.

Chen remarked in the video that the fake “gov.sg” Telegram channel looked “so legit” but reminded viewers that official government notifications are sent via SMS.

“Don’t be stupid,” she said.

“Don’t be like my Junior College (JC) friend…To my JC friend that sent me this link, I’ve never talked to you since I left JC.”

@lielnicole

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♬ original sound – liel nicole ⭐️ – liel nicole ⭐️

Link asked for personal identifiers

Another TikToker, cavanhwx, said in a video posted on Monday that he fell for the ruse and had his Telegram account taken over by scammers.

“It’s not the Government okay, it’s some hacker trying to hack into your Telegram and get access to all your chats,” he cautioned.

Cavan said he clicked on the link and manually filled in his personal particulars — something he later viewed as a “red flag”, as there was no option to pre-fill the form using Singpass MyInfo.

His account was then used to send the fraudulent link to others. Cavan said he was unable to unsend the scam messages as the “hacker” had used Telegram’s “delete for yourself” option.

“Not only are you being scammed and hacked, you have also been an accomplice in this scamming and hacking operation,” he added.

“Don’t say Gen Z and Gen Alpha cannot get scammed (sic). It’s happening right now.”

@cavanhwx

PLEASE DONT SCROLL IF U DONT WANNA GET SCAMMED AND HACKED

♬ original sound – cavan – cavan

Fake channel removed

The fake “gov.sg” Telegram channel has since been taken down.

Under Chen’s video, which was also posted to Instagram, the official gov.sg Instagram account thanked her for the alert and said they are following up on the matter.

“We do have a verified Telegram (and WhatsApp) channel with a blue tick — feel free to follow us there for updates on govt news,” it wrote on Monday.

The official gov.sg account also commented on Cavan’s Instagram post on Tuesday morning with an update: “We have followed up and the fake Telegram channel has been taken down. Stay vigilant everyone!”

According to a police advisory in October 2025, victims of this scam variant are prompted to disclose personal identifiers such as mobile numbers, names, and NRIC numbers.

In some cases, they may also be prompted to provide Telegram codes which allow scammers to take over their Telegram accounts.

The compromised accounts are subsequently used to send phishing links to the victims’ contacts or to add victims and their contacts into chatgroups promoting fraudulent investment schemes.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com