Scammer says he's calling via WhatsApp due to "lockdown problem", hangs up when told circuit breaker is over

A scammer was left with no choice but to hang up on Stomper Anonymous after being caught in a lie and rendered speechless.

Anonymous said he received a call from a foreign number via WhatsApp on Monday afternoon (July 6), at around 2.35pm.

The caller claimed to be from DBS Bank and even had the bank's logo as its profile picture.

He told Anonymous that his credit card had been "temporarily suspended" but fortunately, the latter was not fooled.

Anonymous told Stomp: "I asked why was he using WhatsApp to call me instead of a landline.

"He said that all bank branches were closed due to a lockdown in Singapore, so I replied that the government had already lifted the circuit breaker and everyone is back at work.

In a video that Anonymous sent to Stomp, the scammer can be heard saying that there were technical issues "from the lockdown problem" and "every branch is not working, sir."

Anonymous pretends to be surprised and replies, "From what I understand, the government of Singapore has lifted the circuit breaker and everyone is back to work, you know."

This effectively leaves the scammer speechless.

Anonymous shared: "He hung up after that.

"We need to educate people not to fall to scams."

For more information on such scams and how you can protect yourself, check out these advisories from DBS and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

You may also call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg.