Between January and October 2018, the Police have received 13 reports on 4D lottery scams where victims were cheated of about S$366,000.
In such cases, the victims would be contacted via social media platforms such as Facebook or private messages and asked to purchase an amulet that purportedly comes with a winning 4D ticket. The scammer would then suggest for the victim to pay a sum of money to “invite the God of Fortune”, to provide winning 4D numbers. Victims were then informed that someone who had helped to purchase their 4D numbers in Malaysia had won and they will be given a portion of their winnings. However, victims had to first transfer a token sum to Thailand for the deities to bless the money before they could receive it. The scammers would then became uncontactable after the money was transferred.
Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Don’t be impulsive – Do not fall for the scammers’ tricks. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is;
- Don’t believe – Ignore the scammers’ messages. Be wary of get-rich-quick offers that ask you to transfer money in return for a greater fortune;
- Don’t give – Do not transfer money or give out your personal information, credit/debit card details and bank account details to unknown individuals.
If you wish to provide any information related to such scams, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
To seek scam-related advice, you may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg. Join the ‘let’s fight scams’ campaign at www.scamalert.sg/fight by signing up as an advocate to receive up-to-date messages and share them with your family and friends. Together, we can help stop scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next victim of scam.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
03 December 2018 @ 3:00 PM