It all begins with a phone call. By pretentiously conducting a
telephone survey, the scammers would eventually inform their
victims of an invitation to attend an event. A few days later, the
victims would be informed that they have won a prize as their names
and mobile numbers were entered into a lucky draw on their behalf.
In order to claim the prize, the victims would be told to pay
administrative fees or other payments into a bank account or
through a remittance house. After each payment has been paid, the
victims would often be asked to make further payments, with the
promise of large sums of money. The payments only end when the
victims realize that they have been deceived or when they run out
of money.
In other scenarios, the caller(s) may take on a hostile tone and
fictitiously tell victims of them having pending cases with the
Singapore Courts or with enforcement agencies. The caller(s) would
eventually ask for payments in order to absolve them from their
cases or to safe-keep their money. The caller(s) may even threaten
to harm a family member if no payment was received.
If you receive such a call:
Do Not pay any money in advance to collect a prize
Do Not reveal your identity, bank account number or other
personal information over the phone
Do Not engage in prolonged conversations with the caller
Remember the Police, Supreme Court or any government agency would
never ask anyone, especially those in connection to a criminal
case, to transfer money to a bank account. If any payment is to be
made, an official written notice and an official receipt would be
issued.
Another variation of such scams involves a 'kidnap' ruse. The
caller(s) would claim that the victims loved one had been
kidnapped and demand that a ransom be transferred to a specific
bank account. During the call, background noises may sometimes be
heard of someone struggling and yelling for the victim for
help.
If you receive such a call:
Remain calm. Be wary and do not fall prey. Try to contact your
loved-one immediately on his/her mobile phone, at the
workplace/school, friends who could be with him/her, etc. Should
repeated attempts at contacting your loved-one fail, seek
assistance from the police.
Those who receive such calls should alert the Police at the nearest
Neighbourhood Police Centre. More details of such scams can be
found in the SPF website at www.spf.gov.sg or www.cad.gov.sg.
The above information has been
reproduced with the permission of Singapore Police Force (SPF). Any
feedback should be made directly to SPF at
www.spf.gov.sg/feedback.htm. If you wish to report a crime, call
999 or go to any Neighbourhood Police Centre/Post or
www.spf.gov.sg/epc. Nothing hereby signifies any endorsement of
sgforums.com by SPF.
