WHAT TO DO WHILE FILING A POLICE REPORT
Website address (URL) shared by scammers
If a scammer had told you to access a website to key in your banking details or do online trading (phishing and investment scams), or asked you to download a mobile application from a website, you can report the link by keying in the full URL of the scam website visited, which may be from shortened URLs, (e.g. Tinyurl, Bit.ly). Refer to your Internet browser history to retrieve the full link. This allows for the authorities to take action against the website.
Phone numbers
If you have fallen prey to a scam, you can report the phone number used by the scammer by entering the entire string of numbers with no spacing in between numbers (omit dashes) in your police report. Please indicate if the number has a ‘+’ prefix. For example: +65123456789
Do state the type of call made, e.g. normal call, WhatsApp, Telegram, IMO, Viber, etc.
If you receive a scam call but haven’t been scammed, you can do the following to prevent the scammers from using the number to scam others.
Voice calls
If you receive a scam call via phone, block the phone number on your phone immediately. If you are using an iPhone, you may download ScamShield app – an app that filters scam messages and calls – and report the phone number via the app.
If you receive an unexpected call with the “+” prefix, be careful. It could be a scam. While this is not a foolproof method, it’s a good indicator to exercise greater caution.