Despite police warning, people lost over $1 million to scam involving forged PM's signature
There is no such subsidy.
Despite police warning about the scam in September, people have lost more than $1 million to the Johor-Singapore housing subsidy scam since then.
At least 21 cases of the scam were reported, said the police in a Nov 14 statement.
The victims were lured by advertisements about "JBSG Housing Subsidy Program" or "Free Homes Across the Causeway" on online platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
These ads falsely claim a collaboration between the Singapore and Johor governments to provide subsidised housing and contain embedded links for applications. Some ads carried documents with forged signatures purportedly from the prime ministers of Singapore and Malaysia.
When victims click on these links, they would be directed to WhatsApp to communicate with the scammers.
They would be asked to enter their personal information, such as NRIC, residential addresses, and email addresses through suspicious links.
The victims are subsequently instructed to transfer money online for purported "legal and stamp duties" or to physically hand over cash to unknown individuals.
The police emphasised that this housing subsidy initiative does not exist and the provision of personal information could be fraudulently used to perpetrate scams.
