Singaporeans aren’t strangers to scams. In fact, we’re so familiar with scam calls we’d screw around with the caller for the giggles.
Therapeutic.
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But when it comes to SMS scams, it’s a whole new ball game.
Police Warns About New Bank SMS Scam That Successfully Scammed People
SMS scams are harder to detect than scam calls. After all, it’s pretty easy to tell that something weird is up if the caller from the Singapore Police Force doesn’t sound local.
But when it’s just words on the screen, and there’s no spelling mistake, it’ll be tough to figure out if it’s the real deal or not.
According to the police, they’ve received several reports from unfortunate bank customers between 27 and 30 Sep 2018.
Realised Something’s Wrong When They Checked Their Account Transactions
They responded to SMS texts that were sent to them, asking for their private banking details so that they can “unlock” their account.
After sending their details over, they realised that a new payee was added to their accounts, and unauthorised transactions were made as well.
In other words, they got scammed successfully.
The police would like to remind the public not to respond to any of such messages asking for private banking details.
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Instead, call the bank hotline to verify the text message instead.
Plus, don’t use any of the numbers provided in the SMS but dial the hotline number instead.
Other Tips That Might Be Helpful
- Be mindful of who you disclose your personal information and bank account details to on the Internet;
- Information such as account username, personal identification number (PIN) or One-Time Password (OTP)
- Look out for fake websites that may look genuine. Look for signs that you are using a legitimate or secure website. These websites are generally encrypted to protect your details.
- Secure websites use “https” instead of “http” at the front of the Internet address, or show a closed padlock or unbroken key icon at the bottom right corner of your browser window; and
- Report any fraudulent charges to your bank as soon as possible.
For more scam-related advice, visit www.scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688.
If you have any information about such cases, please contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
And if you vaguely remember responding to any of such messages, it might be a good time to check for unauthorised transactions on your account.
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Other Scams You Might Want To Know About:
Since we’re on the topic of scams, here are a few other scams you might want to know about.
Like the online love scam…
…the WeChat scam…
…and the online sales scam.
(Since you’re here, subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more informative videos lah)
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Watch them if you have the time.
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