SINGAPORE – At least $8.8 million has been lost to scams involving the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) since January, the authorities said.
ICA and the police, in a joint statement on Sept 25, said there have been at least 148 reported cases across two different types of scams.
One involved scammers impersonating ICA officers to demand money and the other involved fake advertisements offering help with applying for Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) status.
In the first scenario, victims would receive calls from scammers claiming to be from ICA, who would tell victims that their personal details have been misused, or that their phone numbers have been linked to criminal activities, such as transmitting scam messages.
The calls would then be transferred to another scammer impersonating a China official, who would demand victims transfer monies or hand over cash for “investigation” or “bail” purposes.
In some cases, victims were also asked to meet unknown individuals to sign fake documents.
Most victims realised that they had been scammed only after making multiple monetary transfers or when the scammer became uncontactable.
At least 117 of such cases have been reported since January, with at least $8.4 million lost.
In the second scenario, victims would come across advertisements on social media platforms, such as Facebook, offering help with getting PR status in Singapore.
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