News

New Scam: They Impersonate Government Officials & Knock On Your Door

2017-08-21 , 3:36 pm

Singapore might be a safe (technically speaking) country, but there are plenty of scams happening here in our little red dot.

Just last week, we wrote about how a new scam in town would successfully cheat more than 90% of Singapore.

And barely a week later, there’s a new scam in town, and this time, they’re even showing their faces.

Because face-to-face contact makes everything more believable mah. Here’s what you got to know.

Police reported that scammers are going around knocking on doors

On 18 Aug 2017, it was reported that the Singapore Police Force warned the public about a scam that has been happening since July 2017.

Scammers will go knocking on doors and identify themselves as government officials. They’ll claim that they are there to promote the use of SkillsFuture Credits.

They’ll ask for the victims’ personal particulars, victims’ personal particulars, SingPass credentials and mobile phone number to “check their eligibility” with the scheme.

Some even request for the victims’ “mobile phones” and “OneKey tokens” for the process.

Registered Their Victims For SkillsFuture Courses

After obtaining the information required, they will register the victims for SkillsFuture Courses without their knowing.

And there you go, they get the money.

Want to know what’s the worse thing in the entire incident? They’re mainly targeting the elderly who are not as savvy with technology as the younger generation is.

The Money They Scam: SkillsFuture Credits

The beauty of this scam is the money won’t come from the elderly but the government instead, so a huge hoo-ha won’t be raised by the victims.

After all, they’re old and likely not to spend the SkillsFuture Credit.

Perhaps the only time they’ll mention it is when someone talks about SkillsFuture at the dinner table and they go, ohhh that one I know, that time got government people come help me check if I’m eligible or not.”

And then, it’ll be a topic of the past.

Here’s What You Should Do Next Time

Remember, whenever someone approach you saying they’re working for the government, don’t be shy and scrutinise their identification. If need be, call up the department and check if it’s true.

If unsure, avoid giving out personal details because you’d never know what it’s used for.

You can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online via www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

SkillsFuture Singapore can also be contacted online for feedback relating to SkillsFuture Credit.

Share this with your friends and family in case they become the next victims.

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Here’s another scam you need to keep a lookout for:

There’s A New Scam in S’pore And 90% Of S’poreans Will Fall For It

Feature Image: channelnewsasia.com

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com