The Police would like to alert the public of a re-emergence of the Police Impersonation scam, involving fake SPF website phishing for confidential information.
Victims typically receive calls from scammers claiming that they are the holders of bank accounts with large amounts of money and are suspected of being involved in criminal activities such as money laundering. The victims are then given a link to a website that resembles the SPF website. Subsequently, the victims are asked to provide confidential information such as credit card details and internet banking credentials on the fake SPF website, purportedly for investigation purposes.
Such websites are actually phishing sites in disguise, designed to extract useful personal information and banking details from unsuspecting victims, resulting in extensive monetary losses. The screenshots below show the fake “E-Services” pages where such illicit phishing activities were perpetrated.
(Image 1: Example of fake website which does not exist on the SPF website – Arrest warrant)
(Image 2: Example of fake website which does not exist on the SPF website – Bank Encryption)
The Police would like to clarify that the official SPF website is www.police.gov.sg. Members of the public are advised to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls, especially from unknown parties:
- Ignore the calls.Scammers may use caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and display a different number. Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore. If you receive a suspicious call from a local number, hang up, wait a while, then call the number back to check the validity of the request.
- Ignore instructions to remit or transfer money. No government agency will request for personal details or transfer of money over the phone or through automated voice machines, especially to a third party’s bank account. Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act as you may be overwhelmed by emotion and err in your judgment.
- Refrain from giving out personal information and bank details, whether on the website or to callers over the phone. Personal information and bank details such as internet bank account usernames and password, OTP codes from tokens, are useful to criminal.
If you have information related to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. Please dial ‘999’ if you require urgent Police assistance.
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.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
12 January 2019 @ 4:00 PM