POLICE NEWS RELEASE

NEW VARIANT OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT SCAMS – SCAMMERS TRANSFER

FUNDS OUT OF VICTIMS’ BANK ACCOUNTS REMOTELY BY
IMPERSONATING STAFF OF TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICE PROVIDER
OR POLICE

The Police would like to alert the public to a new variant of technical support
scams whereby scammers would impersonate staff of telecommunication service
provider Singtel, and the Singapore Police Force.

2 The scammers impersonating staff of Singtel would deceive victims that

there were issues with their modem or internet connection. The scammers would
then direct the victims to download and install software applications such as
‘Teamviewer’ or ‘AnyDesk’ onto their computers on the pretext that doing so would
facilitate the scammers to resolve the issues.

3 In other cases, the scammers would claim to represent the ‘Cyber Crime
Department of Singapore’ or the ‘Cyber Police of Singapore’, and deceive victims
that they had committed a criminal offence. The scammers would then direct the
victims to download and install the abovementioned software applications on the
pretext that doing so would assist in the investigations.

4 Once the software applications were installed on the victims’ computers, the
scammers would use them to access the victims’ computers remotely and request
the victims to log into their online bank accounts. When the victims were logged
into their bank accounts, the scammers would then transfer funds out of their bank
accounts without their consent. Since August 2019, at least 21 cases have been
reported, with more than $1.5 million lost.
5 If members of the public fall for the scam, they should immediately:

a. Turn off their computer to halt further activities on their computer.

b. Report the incident to their bank to halt further activities on their bank
accounts.
c. Change their iBanking credentials and remove any unauthorised payee
added to their bank accounts.
d. Report the matter to the Police.

6 Members of the public are advised to adopt the following preventive

measures:
a. Beware of unsolicited calls from persons claiming that they are staff of
telecommunication service providers or from a government agency,
even if they claim there are issues with your telecommunication devices
or allege that you are implicated in a criminal offence. Scammers may
use Caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and
display a different number.
b. Do not panic and do not follow instructions to install applications or type
commands into your computer or log into your online banking accounts.
You should also not provide your name, identification number, passport
details, contact details, bank account or credit card details when the
callers request for the information. When in doubt, always call the official
hotline of your telecommunication service provider to verify. Call a
trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act as you may be
overwhelmed by emotion and err in your judgment.
c. Ignore the calls and caller’s instructions. No telecommunication service
provider or government agency will request for personal details or
access to your online bank account and do transfer of money over the
phone or through automated voice machines. Call a trusted friend or talk
 to a relative before you act as you may be overwhelmed by emotion and
err in your judgment.

7 If you wish to provide any information related to such scams, please call the
Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.

8 To seek scam-related advice, you may call the National Crime Prevention
Council’s anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg. Join the
‘let’s fight scams’ campaign at www.scamalert.sg/fight by signing up as an
advocate to receive up-to-date messages and share them with your family and
friends. Together, we can help stop scams and prevent our loved ones from
becoming the next scam victim.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
18 SEPTEMBER 2019 @ 11.10AM