The Police have observed that there has been a resurgence of a scam variant which involves scammers contacting victims through phone calls, pretending to be their friends, and thereafter asking for financial assistance. Since January 2022, at least 587 victims have fallen prey to such scams, with total losses amounting to more than $2.7million. In May 2022 alone, to date, at least 43 victims have fallen prey, with total losses amounting to more than $177,000.
In these cases, the victims received phone calls from unknown numbers with the “+” prefix. Upon answering these calls, the callers would not identify themselves and instead ask victims to guess the identity of the caller with questions such as: “Guess who am I?” or “You can’t remember me?”. Thinking that they were acquainted, the victim would answer with the name of a friend who they thought most resembled the caller’s voice. The caller would then assume the identity of the said friend and would claim to have lost their mobile phone or changed their contact number. They will then ask the victims to update their number in their contact list. A few days later, the caller would call the victim and ask for loans to help them with their financial difficulties or trouble with the law. Victims would be provided with a local bank account numbers or phone numbers to transfer money to. Victims would only discover that they had been scammed after contacting their actual friends whom the scammers had impersonated.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- Beware of calls with the “+” prefix, especially if you are not expecting an international call;
- Beware of unusual requests received from phone calls or messages, even if they appear to be from your family or friends; and
- Verify whether the request is legitimate by checking with your family and friends through alternative means such as physical meet-ups or using previously established contact details.
If you have information related to crime, 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.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
12 May 2022 @ 5:10 PM