SINGAPORE \u2013\u00a0A person lost at least $4.9 million after falling for a scam involving the impersonation of senior government officials, as the police warned the public to be careful of such ruses.<\/p>\n
In this particular case, the victim was invited to a Zoom video conference call that appeared to involve Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, along with other local and overseas government officials, the police said in an advisory on May 14.<\/p>\n
The appearances of PM Wong and the officials were created using deepfake artificial intelligence technology.<\/p>\n
The police warned that invitations to virtual meetings with high-profile figures \u2013 including senior government officials such as Secretary to the Cabinet Wong Hong Kuan \u2013 could be part of such scams.<\/p>\n
The scammers appear to target business professionals who have had prior interactions with government officials, police added.<\/p>\n
The ruse typically begins with fraudsters impersonating senior government officials and informing victims that they are to attend a virtual meeting with the President, ministers and other government officials.<\/p>\n
Victims would be asked to provide an e-mail address to receive a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for the meeting. The scammers would also tell the victims to endorse the NDA and furnish a copy of their identification cards.<\/p>\n
In the case involving the victim who lost at least $4.9 million, the victim received a WhatsApp message with a profile photo of Mr Wong Hong Kuan, telling him to attend a meeting with PM Wong.<\/p>\n
The victim also received an e-mail from the e-mail address WongHongKuan.secretarycabinet @proton.me, purportedly sent by Mr Wong Hong Kuan, requesting urgent funding assistance relating to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
The e-mail included what appeared to be an official government-issued letter of guarantee bearing PM Wong\u2019s signature, stating that the funds would be reimbursed by the Singapore Government within 15 business days.<\/p>\n
The victim was also asked to sign an NDA, and he did so.<\/p>\n
The victim was then invited to the Zoom conference call that appeared to involve PM Wong and other officials.<\/p>\n
After the meeting, the victim was contacted via WhatsApp and he then transferred the money through a series of transactions to a corporate bank account supplied by the scammers.<\/p>\n
He later felt something was amiss and contacted Mr Wong Hong Kuan, at which point the victim realised that he had been scammed.<\/p>\n
Police added that, in relation to earlier cases involving the same modus operandi, three people were arrested and charged on May 9 over their suspected involvement in SIM card offences.<\/p>\n
The public should never transfer money nor provide identification card details to strangers or people whose identities have not been verified.<\/p>\n
Singapore government officials will never ask the public to transfer funds, disclose bank login details, install mobile apps from unofficial app stores, or transfer a call to the police or any other government officials, the police said.<\/p>\n
If in doubt, call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799.<\/p>\n