A woman was duped of $16,000 after falling victim to scammers impersonating HSBC staff and police officers in a phone scam.<\/p>\n
The 37-year-old victim, who wished to be known only as Ms Yan, shared her story with Shin Min Daily News to warn others of such scams.<\/p>\n
Caller knew her full name and NRIC number<\/h2>\n
On the morning of Feb 27, Ms Yan received a call from someone claiming to be an HSBC staff member, who alleged there were suspicious transactions on a newly applied credit card under her name.<\/p>\n
When she replied that she had not applied for a new credit card, the caller said her Singpass details had been stolen and that the case would be handed over to law enforcement for follow-up.<\/p>\n
Ms Yan said she had recently cancelled an HSBC card. The caller also spoke fluent English with a local accent<\/a> and was able to accurately state her full name and NRIC number. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I let my guard down,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Shortly after, another scammer posing as a police officer called and guided her step by step, leading Ms Yan to believe she was implicated in a money laundering case involving up to $2 million. <\/p>\n The caller stressed that the case was \u201chighly confidential\u201d and instructed her not to tell anyone, warning that she could be arrested, have her bank accounts frozen, or even implicate her family. <\/p>\n Under continuous pressure and threats, Ms Yan complied with their instructions.<\/p>\n \u201cThey sent many official-looking documents. After an hour-long call, I was completely confused and unable to think clearly or verify anything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Subsequently, another \u201csenior officer\u201d joined the call, claiming he could help her \u201cclear her name\u201d through a \u201cpriority investigation\u201d \u2014 but only if she transferred existing funds to a \u201csafe account\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI did question them at the time, but they kept threatening me while also reassuring me that the money would be returned,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ms Yan received a QR code and transferred $16,000. She realised she had been scammed only after the transfer was completed.<\/p>\n She contacted her husband, who quickly identified it as a scam and told her to stop engaging with the callers, but it was already too late.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really panicking at the time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She later lodged a police report. The police confirmed that investigations are ongoing.<\/p>\n Ms Yan told Shin Min she contacted the bank immediately after the incident, but was only asked to fill in a form. She claimed the staff \u201cdid not show a sense of urgency\u201d, adding that it was only about two weeks later that she was informed the money could not be recovered.<\/p>\n Ms Yan said she has learnt her lesson and hopes her experience will serve as a warning to others.<\/p>\n She urged the public not to trust unknown callers, especially those involving money transfers, and noted that legitimate investigations would not require individuals to keep matters secret from their families.<\/p>\n Stomp has reached out to the bank for comment.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWarned her \u2018not to tell anyone\u2019<\/h2>\n
Money could not be recovered<\/h2>\n
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