Woman, 37, duped of $16k by scammers posing as HSBC staff: ‘I let my guard down’
A woman was duped of $16,000 after falling victim to scammers impersonating HSBC staff and police officers in a phone scam.
The 37-year-old victim, who wished to be known only as Ms Yan, shared her story with Shin Min Daily News to warn others of such scams.
Caller knew her full name and NRIC number
On the morning of Feb 27, Ms Yan received a call from someone claiming to be an HSBC staff member, who alleged there were suspicious transactions on a newly applied credit card under her name.
When she replied that she had not applied for a new credit card, the caller said her Singpass details had been stolen and that the case would be handed over to law enforcement for follow-up.
Ms Yan said she had recently cancelled an HSBC card. The caller also spoke fluent English with a local accent and was able to accurately state her full name and NRIC number.
“That’s why I let my guard down,” she said.
Warned her ‘not to tell anyone’
Shortly after, another scammer posing as a police officer called and guided her step by step, leading Ms Yan to believe she was implicated in a money laundering case involving up to $2 million.
The caller stressed that the case was “highly confidential” and instructed her not to tell anyone, warning that she could be arrested, have her bank accounts frozen, or even implicate her family.
Under continuous pressure and threats, Ms Yan complied with their instructions.
“They sent many official-looking documents. After an hour-long call, I was completely confused and unable to think clearly or verify anything,” she said.
Subsequently, another “senior officer” joined the call, claiming he could help her “clear her name” through a “priority investigation” — but only if she transferred existing funds to a “safe account”.
“I did question them at the time, but they kept threatening me while also reassuring me that the money would be returned,” she said.
Ms Yan received a QR code and transferred $16,000. She realised she had been scammed only after the transfer was completed.
She contacted her husband, who quickly identified it as a scam and told her to stop engaging with the callers, but it was already too late.
“I was really panicking at the time,” she said.
She later lodged a police report. The police confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
Money could not be recovered
Ms Yan told Shin Min she contacted the bank immediately after the incident, but was only asked to fill in a form. She claimed the staff “did not show a sense of urgency”, adding that it was only about two weeks later that she was informed the money could not be recovered.
Ms Yan said she has learnt her lesson and hopes her experience will serve as a warning to others.
She urged the public not to trust unknown callers, especially those involving money transfers, and noted that legitimate investigations would not require individuals to keep matters secret from their families.
Stomp has reached out to the bank for comment.
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