At least $6.1m lost in seven months to scammers pretending to be officials from ICA, China

SINGAPORE – At least $6.1 million have been lost over about seven months to scammers posing as officials from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and from China.

These losses stem from at least 72 cases reported since January, said the police in a statement on Aug 14, as they warned of a surge in such scams.

In this scam variant, victims would first receive unsolicited calls from scammers posing as ICA officials.

The scammers would claim that the victims’ details have been misused or that their phone numbers have been linked to criminal activities, such as spreading false rumours or the transmission of scam messages.

When the victims deny such involvement, the calls would be transferred to another scammer pretending to be an official from China.

This fake official would demand that money be transferred to bank accounts to facilitate investigations, or to be used for bail.

In some cases, victim may also be instructed to withdraw and hand over cash.

The ruse is up after the scammers become uncontactable, or after victims seek verification from the relevant government agencies.

The police advised people not to transfer or hand over money or valuables to unknown individuals whose identities have not been verified, or place them at a physical location for subsequent collection.

They said government officials will never ask the public to transfer money, obtain loans from licensed moneylenders, disclose banking details or install mobile apps from unofficial app stores over the phone. They also would not transfer your call to the police, or other government officials.

“Do not trust unsolicited communications, even if the caller appears to have their personal information,” the police added.

If in doubt, call the ScamShield helpline on 1799 to check.