We would like to alert the public to a variant of impersonation scams involving fake Singapore Police Force (SPF) websites. 

Since January 2020, the Police have received at least 15 reports where scammers would make unsolicited calls to victims and identify themselves as government officials or law enforcement authorities. The scammers would allege that victims were suspected of being involved in overseas criminal activities such as money laundering and drug trafficking, or have outstanding court cases or summons. The victims were then directed to websites that resemble the actual SPF website. The victims were then asked to provide personal information such as credit card details and internet banking credentials, purportedly for investigation purposes. At least $330,000 had been lost to such scams since the start of the year.

Such websites are actually phishing sites in disguise, designed to extract personal information, financial details and Internet banking login credentials from unsuspecting victims. The scammers will then access victims’ online banking facilities using the credentials provided and make unauthorised fund transfers, resulting in extensive monetary losses. The following screenshots show the fake “E-Services” pages where such illicit phishing activities were perpetrated.

Prevention measures

1. Don’t panic – Ignore instructions to remit or transfer money.  No government agency will request for personal details or transfer of money over the phone or through automated voice machines, especially to a third party’s bank account. Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act as you may be overwhelmed by emotion and err in your judgment. 



2. Don’t believe – Ignore the calls.  Scammers may use caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and display a different number.  Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore.

3. Don’t give – Never provide your personal or bank account details, and One-Time-Passwords (OTP) to anyone. Such information is useful to criminals.

Join the ‘Let’s Fight Scams’ campaign at www.scamalert.sg/fight by signing up as an advocate to receive up-to-date messages and share them with your family and friends.

Together, we can help stop scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next victim of scam!