{"id":49834,"date":"2026-05-05T04:38:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T20:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=49834"},"modified":"2026-05-05T04:38:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T20:38:46","slug":"beware-of-requests-for-atm-cash-transfers-bank-cards-at-least-5-4m-lost-in-scams-since-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=49834","title":{"rendered":"Beware of requests for ATM cash transfers, bank cards; at least $5.4m lost in scams since April"},"content":{"rendered":"


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SINGAPORE \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

At least 68 of such cases have been reported in the past month, said the police in a statement on May 4.<\/p>\n

In this scam variant, victims would receive unsolicited calls from scammers who pretend to be representatives from banks or telecommunications companies, said the police.<\/p>\n

The scammers would claim that the victims had unauthorised bank transactions, signed telecoms service contracts or purchased new phones.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Victims would be instructed by the scammers to assist in fake investigations by making cash transfers or deposits via an ATM into a \u201csafe account\u201d, the police said.<\/p>\n

In some cases, victims would be instructed to physically hand over their bank cards and PINs (personal identification numbers) to people posing as officers or inspectors.<\/p>\n

The victims realised they had been scammed when the scammers became uncontactable or when they approached the relevant government agencies for verification.<\/p>\n

The police advise the public not to share sensitive information such as bank card PINs with others, transfer or hand over money and other valuables to unknown or unverified people, or place money or valuables at a physical location to facilitate subsequent collection.<\/p>\n

They added that Singapore government officials will never ask for money to be transferred over the phone or request banking login details. Officials will also not transfer calls to the police or instruct people to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores.<\/p>\n

Individuals can adopt the following precautionary measures for protection against scams:<\/p>\n

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