Scammer impersonating police officer points middle finger at woman who refuses to show him her IC

A scammer impersonating a police officer lost his cool after a woman caught on that she was being scammed.

A video of the incident was posted on Complaint Singapore's Facebook page.

In the video, the man wearing a police uniform and face mask asks the woman to show him her identity card or work permit via video call.

She responds: "For what ah?"

He says: "Because I'm just going to verify, you don't know so many people scammed people in Singapore."

He asks for her IC again and she pretends to look for it before telling him she does not know where she put it.

He says: "You have it with you, don't joking."

She replies: "You joking or I'm joking, tell me?"

He then shows her the middle finger.

She says, "stupid, you" before hanging up the call.

In February, Stomp reported at least 148 victims have suffered losses of at least $182,000 since January 2023 to government official impersonation scams.

The police remind members of the public to remain vigilant against such scams and emphasised that SPF does not ask members of the public to provide their bank account information and passwords or to transfer money to any bank account.

They also advise the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:

• Add - Install the ScamShield app to protect yourself.

• Check - Before giving banking credentials over the telephone or WhatsApp, check with authorised sources because the police will never ask you for your banking credentials and OTP over the telephone or WhatsApp. Never share your banking credentials, including your OTPs, with anyone over the phone.

• Tell – Report the number to WhatsApp for them to initiate in-app blocking. If you have disclosed your banking details, report this to your bank immediately. Tell your friends about this scam so they do not fall for it.

If you have 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.

Call '999' if you require urgent police assistance.

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