SINGAPORE – At least $6.1 million has been lost over about seven months to scammers posing as officials from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) or China.
These losses stem from at least 72 cases reported since January, said the police in a statement on Aug 14, as they warned of a surge in such scams.
In this scam variant, victims would receive unsolicited calls from scammers posing as ICA officials. The scammers would claim that the victims’ details have been misused or that their phone numbers have been linked to criminal activities, such as spreading false rumours or transmitting scam messages.
When the victims deny such involvement, the calls would be transferred to another scammer pretending to be an official from China. This fake official would demand that money be transferred to bank accounts to facilitate investigations or to be used for bail.
In some cases, victims may be instructed to withdraw and hand over cash.
Read Full Article At Source
