Scams are on the rise everywhere, including Singapore.
Even while the global pandemic-turn-epidemic ground the entire world to a standstill, the scam business continued growing.
In fact, it got so bad that now, a public stat board has to come out and clarify that an official letter to the people of Singapore is the real deal.
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Here’s what happened.
Scam Alert
On 11 March 2022, CPF Board (the real one) took to Facebook to declare a scam alert of their official letter as false news.
Based on the images provided in CPF’s post, it seems that an image of a CPF official letter was making its rounds on the internet, with a message declaring it as a fake.
The letter was addressed to a retiree, informing him that his monthly payout could not be credited to his given bank account.
The retiree was requested to provide a new bank account by 11 March 2022, and a hotline number was provided for further enquiries.
A QR code and URL were also provided in the letter.
A deadline, a QR code and requesting for personal information: these details seemed to have triggered the senses of at least one individual because it was promptly declared as a scam.
The netizen went on to ask that people share this information with their friends and family…without calling CPF Board to confirm if that letter is legit or not.
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CPF Board Clarifies That Letter to Update Bank Account is Real
In its post, CPF Board confirms that the letter is, in fact, real.
They request for CPF members to check directly with them should they be unsure of the legitimacy of the letter.
Making claims without verifying with CPF Board is wrong and irresponsible, it added.
It was also emphasised that the CPF payouts will always go to the member as CPF Board will verify directly with the bank for any new bank account given.
You can read their message in full below:
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Netizens Divided
Some netizens believed that more could be done if CPF Board (or any official agency or firm, actually) wants people to verify with them.
it was mentioned that getting through the hotline was tough.
This makes sense, considering that when people try to verify claims, they’re typically in an emotionally-charged state.
Another thought that it was a good thing that the population is vigilant enough to question official-looking communications:
There are some, however, who felt that the real issue isn’t about the CPF letter looking like a fake; it’s about how people are spreading fake news, sometimes even with the best of intentions.
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Moral of the story: When in doubt, check first; double-check before putting anything online.
Watch these videos to know more about scams in Singapore:
Read Also:
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Feature Image: Facebook (CPF Board)
Here's a summary of the Chocolate Finance saga, simplified so even a non-finance kid can understand:
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