SCAM ALERT! Alleged scammer wearing fake S'pore police cap & uniform asks victim for bank details, netizen warns others

Singapore — A woman who was the target of yet another impersonation scam, has taken to social media to highlight that scammers' modus operandi has become more advanced to the point that they would engage in a video call donning a police officer's uniform. To the untrained eye, the following photo could easily deceive targets that the person behind the camera was indeed a police officer. [caption id="attachment_393356" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Photo: FB screengrab/Lid Wati Hassan[/caption] The member of the public took to Facebook on Saturday (Nov 27) to share an experience regarding an alleged scammer. "Dear all, please take note of this scammer." He will call you and say he is from CID (Criminal Investigation Department) officer of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), said Lid Wati Hassan. [caption id="attachment_393358" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Photo: FB screengrab/Lid Wati Hassan[/caption] The man would then ask for the target's bank details to "verify their ATM and bank card." "DO NOT GIVE HIM ANY OF YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS!!! I REPEAT, DO NOT GIVE HIM ANY DETAILS!!!!!" reiterated Ms Lid. She noted that the man would video call the person to show he was wearing a police uniform to dupe victims. [caption id="attachment_393357" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Photo: FB screengrab/Lid Wati Hassan[/caption] "You can tell all is fake," she said, referring to the shoddily-made cap with a fake SPF logo and the New York Yankees logo. Another photo showed the man holding a pass in hopes of convincing the person on the other end of the call. [caption id="attachment_393359" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Photo: FB screengrab/Lid Wati Hassan[/caption] However, the elderly might not connect such details and fall for the scam. "Please inform your loved ones so that they can be more careful," said Ms Lid. SPF recently announced that S$201 million was lost to scammers in 2020, a jump of 140 per cent compared to 2019 as more Singaporeans turned to online transactions amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "The rising number of scam victims is testament to the increasing psychological sophistication of scammers' tactics in crafting false proof, impersonating the victim's close friends and using the victim's shame about possibly falling for a scam to continue extracting money from them," noted hometeamns.sg. Here are the top 10 scams in Singapore, in no particular order: • E-commerce • Social media impersonation • Internet love • Credit-for-sex • Chinese officials impersonation • Tech-support • Bank-related phishing • Loans and investment Those found guilty of impersonating a public servant can be sentenced to up to two years imprisonment, a fine, or both. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. /TISG Read related: Scammers duped teen to pay S$350,000 before demanding ransom from his parents https://theindependent.sg/scammers-duped-teen-to-pay-s350000-before-demanding-ransom-from-his-parents-2/