At least 362 people lost more than half million dollars to parcel delivery phishing scams this year

At least 362 people lost at least $560,000 to parcel delivery phishing scams between January and November this year, said the police.

With the upcoming festive period and major online shopping events for Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year, the police advise shoppers to be more cautious of scammers obtaining personal details and banking credentials on the pretext of delivery charges.

The victims would receive a text message or email requiring additional payment to facilitate the delivery of their purchased items.

These text messages or emails are usually designed to appear as if they were sent by postage and e-commerce logistics companies such as Singapore Post and would contain a phishing link.

Those who click on the phishing link are led to a spoofed website to key in their personal details and/or banking credentials. Victims would discover that they had been scammed when they noticed unauthorised transactions made to their bank accounts or credit cards.

You are advised to adopt the following precautionary measures:

ADD – ScamShield App and security features, such as transaction limits for Internet banking transactions and multi-factor authentication for banks.

CHECK – For scam signs with official sources, such as ScamShield WhatsApp bot @ go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot, call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688, or visit www.scamalert.sg. Delivery charges are usually paid upfront when purchases are made. SingPost will never send you a text message or email requesting additional payment through an embedded link that demands that you give SingPost your personal or banking information. Any payment to SingPost can only be done via the SingPost Mobile App, at SAM machines, or any post office. Please refer to www.singpost.com/online-security-you to stay alert against scams. Always verify the authenticity of the information with the official website or sources, even if you are expecting the delivery of a parcel and do not click on links provided in unsolicited messages or emails. Look out for tell-tale signs of a phishing website and never disclose your personal or banking credentials, including one-time passwords (OTPs) to anyone. Always check the transaction details before approving any transactions.

TELL – authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.

If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial 999.

For more information on scams, you can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688.