Imagine this: You’ve been working hard your entire life only to lose it all because of scammers who target the elderly.
That was exactly what an elderly retired widow had to deal with just recently.
Elderly Widowed Mother’s Experience With Scammers Who Target The Elderly
On 14 Jan 2020, Facebook user Labina Fariah took to Facebook to share about her mom’s recent experience.
In her post, she described that her mother’s hard-earned life savings of S$54,000 was reduced to a mere S$99 within a Viber call.
Her mother received a phone call via Viber on 13 Jan 2020.
The caller identified himself as someone from DBS bank and claimed that her bank account was being “hacked into”.
And in order to help her, he wanted her to pass him her bank account information, including the One-Time Password (OTP).
Confused & Doubtful
Her mother, Labinah says, was doubtful and suspicious about being contacted via Viber.
However, she decided to believe in the man and provided him with all that he asked for.
And that was when things went wrong.
She received an email detailing a transfer of $17999.05 from her bank account. She immediately contacted Labinah who told her to update her bank account passbook.
And it was then that she realised that her life savings of S$54,000 was taken away from her.
“Look After Your Parents, Please”
Labinah added that her intention in writing this post isn’t to shame her mom but to share it with others.
She asks that others will care more for their elderly parents who are vulnerable to such scams.
It was emphasised again that with a single OTP, her mom’s savings were wiped out.
They have lodged a report with the police and is now in discussion with DBS about the matter.
You Can Read Her Full Post Below:
DBS/POSB Will Never Ask For Details
Customers are advised to never give out personal security information, enter sensitive information into unknown websites or click on URL links from unknown sources.
He added that they will never request for customers to:
- Download software
- Disclose Internet Banking access credentials
- Conduct fund transfers
For suspicious activities, customers can call them at their 24-hour hotline (1800 111 1111).
He added that scammers are now actively targeting bank customers in Singapore and ask customers to always be “vigilant”.
It’s Hard To Get Money Back From Scams
With the setup of an Anti-Scam Centre in Singapore, suspicious bank accounts can be frozen within days.
Which is great because it helps in the recovery of money that scammers cheat out of victims.
But even then, the number isn’t exactly optimistic.
According to the report, the establishment of the anti-scam centre helped to recover about 35% of the $2.4 million cheated back in 2019.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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