Fake police website tricking people into surrendering their personal information reemerges

A fake Singapore Police Force (SPF) website has emerged once again, tricking people into giving up their personal information, the police warned on Tuesday (Nov 12).

The police said in a statement that on Nov 7, they received a report from a 52-year-old woman who said $3,300 had been transferred from her bank account without her consent.

The victim purportedly received a call from someone claiming to be from the SPF who alleged that she was involved in illegal activities.

The call was subsequently transferred to someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer in China, who directed her to a website resembling the SPF website.

The victim was then instructed by the caller to key in her bank account details, password and One-Time Password (OTP).

She suspected she was scammed after receiving a text message alerting her that money had been transferred from account to an overseas account.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The police said in their statement that victims typically receive calls from scammers claiming that they are holders of bank accounts with large amounts of money and are suspected of being involved in criminal activities such as money laundering.

The victims are then directed to the fake SPF website where they are asked to provide confidential information such as credit card details and Internet banking credentials, purportedly for investigations purposes.

These websites are phishing sites in disguise, designed to extract useful personal and banking information from unsuspecting victims, resulting in extensive monetary losses.

The police clarified that the official SPF website is www.police.gov.sg and advised the public to ignore suspicious calls and instructions to remit or transfer money.

Giving out personal information such as bank details over the phone or on an unverified website can lead to monetary losses, the police added.

Those with information related to such scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit a form online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

To find out more about scams, call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg.