At least $17.4 million lost to scammers pretending to be with Chinese platforms such as WeChat this year
At least 678 cases of impersonation scams involving Chinese messaging and payment platforms such as WeChat, UnionPay or Alipay.were reported this year.
At least $17.4 million were lost to these scams, the police and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a joint press release on April 4.
Scam victims would receive unsolicited calls from local mobile numbers such as "8xxx xxxx" or "+65 xxxx xxxx", impersonating WeChat, UnionPay or Alipay staff.
The scammer would typically inform victims that a subscription or insurance policy that they had signed up was about to expire. The scammer would then direct the victims to switch to WhatsApp to continue the conversation.
The scammer would inform the victims that the fees would be automatically deducted from their bank accounts linked to the platforms of WeChat, UnionPay, or Alipay unless the victims cancelled the subscriptions.
To cancel the subscription, victims would have to verify their identities by providing their personal information.
The victims would also be asked to verify their bank accounts by performing bank transfers to a specified bank account.
In some cases, victims would be guided to perform these transfers through WhatsApp's screen-sharing function. The scammers would assure victims that their money would be refunded upon successful cancellation of the subscriptions.
The scammer might attempt to bolster their credibility or pressure the victims by:
- Sending victims fake documents of the alleged subscriptions with the victims' personal information printed on them through WhatsApp.
- Redirecting victims to a second scammer impersonating an MAS officer who would inform victims that their bank accounts had been implicated in money laundering activities and they would have to transfer monies to a specified bank account for the purpose of assisting in investigations. In some cases, victims were engaged in a video call with the scammer impersonating as a MAS officer in blue uniform.
- Sending victims fake documents of a court order or arrest warrant from MAS with the victims' details through WhatsApp.
Victims would realise that they had been scammed only when the scammers became uncontactable, or when they did not receive the promised refunds.
The police reminded the public that a "+" prefix means that the call originates from overseas you should think twice before picking up such a call.
Singapore government officials will never ask you to transfer money, disclose banking details or install mobile apps from unofficial app stores.
