Between January to June 2021, Jurong Police Division, together with banks such as the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC) and United Overseas Bank (UOB), have prevented victims from falling prey to various variants of scams, comprising of Internet love scams, Government Official impersonation scams, loan scams and investment scams, with losses amounting to more than $162,000.
Case 1 – Internet Love Scam
On 15 June 2021, the Police received information on an internet love scam from an OCBC staff where a female bank customer had asked to transfer cash amounting to S$10,000 to a man whom she had befriended and developed a relationship with on a social media platform. The man had purportedly claimed that he needed money for his business and tried to induce the woman to transfer the money to him.
Despite the advice given by the OCBC staff that she could be a victim of a scam, the woman was unconvinced and was determined to proceed with the fund transfer. She attempted to transfer the funds on three separate occasions at the branch. She was eventually convinced that it was a scam attempt after she was advised by officers from Jurong Police Division not to proceed with the transfer and when the scammer failed to appear in an arranged video conference, a confirmation method arranged by OCBC.
Case 2 - Government Official Impersonation Scam
On 1 June 2021, a female OCBC Bank customer requested to transfer funds amounting to $34,000 to a friend who claimed that he was detained by customs official from a foreign government, for attempting to bring over a parcel containing cash which was meant to be given to the victim. The staff found her transfer request suspicious and subsequently established that the woman had received text messages from scammers. The OCBC Bank staff highlighted to the victim that it was a scam and proactively shared relevant scam advisories with her, including those from the Singapore Police Force. The victim was subsequently convinced that it was a scam attempt and decided not to proceed with the transfer.
Case 3 - China Official Impersonation Scam
On 5 April 2021, the Police received information from a United Overseas Bank (UOB) staff that a female bank customer had received a call from a scammer impersonating a foreign government official, who had claimed that she was involved in a crime. The scammer had instructed the woman to transfer funds amounting to $4,000 to him. The staff found her transfer request suspicious and together with her colleagues, established that the woman had received phone calls from scammers.
She was eventually convinced that it was a scam attempt after the UOB staff and officers from Jurong Police Division shared advisories on scams with her and advised her not to proceed with the transfer.
Together, We Can Fight Scams
The successful interventions reflect the close partnership between the Singapore Police Force and the banks and reiterates the importance of strong collaboration between the Police and community partners in our efforts towards fighting crimes. Customer Service Manager of OCBC’s Choa Chu Kang branch, Ms Goh Swee Lee said, “While we have been battling scammers together with the Singapore Police Force long before COVID-19, the pandemic has amplified the challenges we face in preventing customers from becoming scam victims. Scammers do not discriminate, and we have noticed scam victims comprising everyone from students, to PMETs, to the elderly. During the pandemic, many customers increased their adoption of digital technologies. This has indirectly contributed to the rising emergence of fraudsters and imposters, who seized opportunities to modify their tricks and applied social engineering techniques to scam people. Our collaboration with the community and the Police is thus especially important in this fight against scams.”
The Singapore Police Force will continue with our outreach efforts through engagement and working closely with stakeholders to fight scams. Together, in partnership, we can keep our community safe and secure.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
27 August 2021 @ 8:00 AM