Singapore Police warn people against fake website of SPF looking for confidential details

On January 12, 2019, an advisory was issued by the police about a scam related to police impersonation by a fake SPF (Singapore Police Force) website.

In this scam, the victims would usually receive calls from the scammers, which claim that the victims were holders of the bank accounts with huge amounts of money. Moreover, the victims are suspected of having involvement in criminal activities, like money laundering, claims the scammers.

A website link was then given to the victims. The site, which opens upon clicking the link, resembles the website of SPF. While on the website, the victims will be asked to give confidential information like Internet banking credentials and credit card details, purportedly for the investigation purposes. However, the website is actually a phishing site, designed for extracting banking details and personal information from the unsuspecting victims.

The official website of Singapore Police Force is www.police.gov.sg. The Singapore Police advised people to take precautions while receiving the unsolicited calls, particularly when such calls are from unknown parties. In fact, the police suggest ignoring such calls, as the scammers might use the caller ID spoofing technology to hide actual phone number from which they are calling and instead display another number. So, in case someone receive any kind of suspicious call from local number, he/she should hang up, then wait for a while, and finally call that number back for checking the validity of that request.

People have also been suggested to ignore the instructions to transfer or remit money. The Singapore Police said that any government agency will never request for personal details or to transfer money over the phone or via automated voice machines. In fact, people should avoid giving bank details and personal information to the callers on the phone.

Anybody having information related to this kind of crimes or in doubt, can make a call to the police hotline number 1800-255-0000, or submit the information online in www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. Those looking for urgent assistance from police should dial the number 999.

For seeking scam-related advice, people may call anti-scam helpline number 1800-722-6688 or can go to www.scamalert.sg

» SPAMfighter News - 2/1/2019