Scam victims duped into transferring money using WhatsApp screen-sharing, lose at least $3 million
Victims of impersonation scams involving WhatsApp screen-sharing function lost a total of at least $3 million in June.
There were at least 46 police reports lodged, said the police in a June 26 news release.
The victims would receive unsolicited calls from local mobile lines starting with +65 or 8 allegedly from companies such as NTUC Income, NTUC Union or Unionpay.
The scammers would cite issues with the insurance plans that the victims had allegedly purchased. When the victims denied purchasing these policies, they would be directed to a second scammer impersonating as an officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
After the scammers informed the victims that their bank accounts had been implicated in money-laundering activities, the victims would be asked to transfer their money to a "safety account" for safekeeping.
The victims would then be guided to perform internet banking transfers through the WhatsApp's screen-sharing function, thereby exposing their bank account and ibanking details. They would only realise that they had been scammed when the scammers became uncontactable or asked for more transfers.
Police said: "We would like to remind members of the public to NEVER share your devices' screen with unknown persons or persons whose identity you did not verify.
"Through the process, you may inadvertently disclose your personal banking details which could lead to unauthorised transactions and financial loss."
Police also said Singapore government officials, including from MAS, will never ask members of the public to do the following over a phone call:
- Ask you to transfer money.
- Ask you to disclose banking log-in details.
- Ask you to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores.
- Transfer your call to police.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg. Fighting scams is a community effort.
