The Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Police Force’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC), foiled a technical support scam and successfully recovered over $197,000.
On 24 September 2024, a 73-year-old victim lodged a police report stating that over $197,000 had been illicitly transferred out of her bank account. Upon receiving this information, the ASC expeditiously traced the funds to a Hong Kong-based bank account and alerted the ADCC to recover the monies.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the victim had been browsing the internet on her computer when an unsolicited ‘pop-up’ notification appeared. The notification directed her to contact a purported "Microsoft Hotline". Upon calling, she was informed that her bank accounts had been compromised and was subsequently redirected to a scammer impersonating a 'SPF cybercrime department officer'. The scammer instructed the victim to access her bank accounts whilst utilising a screen-sharing application on the pretext of 'detecting possible scams on her accounts'. This enabled the scammer to gain control of the victim's bank accounts, leading to the illicit transfer of funds out of her bank account to the Hong Kong-based bank account.
The victim grew suspicious after she was instructed to login to her bank accounts. She quickly ended the call with the scammer and alerted the Police and the banks.
The swift collaboration between the ASC and ADCC resulted in the full recovery of more than $197,000 for the victim.
The Police's strong partnership with banks and foreign law enforcement agencies are vital to combat scams and transnational fraud, as well as to recover criminal proceeds. Members of the public are advised to take the following steps immediately if they believe that they have fallen prey to such scams:
- Turn off your computer immediately to limit any further activities that the scammers can perform;
- Uninstall any software that you have installed at the instructions of the scammers;
- Perform a full anti-virus scan on your computer and delete any malware detected;
- Report the incident to your bank to halt further activities relating to your bank account(s);
- Change your Internet banking credentials and remove any unauthorised payees who may have been added to your bank accounts, and
- Report the incident to the bank and the Police.
The Police would like advise members of the public to adopt the following precautionary measures to avoid falling for such scams:
- ADD – Add the ScamShield app and set security features (e.g. set up transaction limits for internet banking transactions, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Multifactor Authentication for banks and e-wallets, opt not to activate overseas transaction for credit/debit cards). Use Money Lock to secure a portion of your savings.
- CHECK – Banks will never send you clickable links via SMS or email. Legitimate SMSes from banks will reflect their officially registered SMS Sender ID. Check for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield Helpline (1799). You can also check the legitimacy of suspicious messages, phone numbers and website links via the ScamShield app or visit the ScamShield website at www.scamshield.gov.sg.
- TELL – Tell the authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.
If you have any information relating 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/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 October 2024 @ 12:10 PM