Scams may be getting more and more sophisticated by the day, but people are also getting warier of these swindles, thanks to an abundance of information online.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and banks often send out advisories to residents warning them of the latest scams and offering tips on how to avoid them.
This is why scammers so constantly have to come up with new ways to dupe us into giving them money.
This man, however, clearly should have done a little more thinking.
Scammer Allegedly Even Wears SPF Uniform in Video Calls to Scam Others
A Facebook user has warned residents about a new impersonation scam involving a man posing as a Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Lid Wati Hassan put up a post recently detailing her encounter with the man.
According to the post, Wati received a video call from a number with the +65 prefix, which had this picture:
The prefix should have been a giveaway, but even if Wati was convinced of the caller’s authenticity, everything fell apart when she actually saw what he was wearing.
Have a look:
Yes, it looks like the alleged scammer picked up his police uniform at a kid’s costume store, the kind you’d see seven-year-olds wearing for Halloween.
The man had called Wati, claiming he was from CID and needed to verify her ATM and bank card details. He even flashed a fake pass, hoping to add to his non-existent legitimacy.
Unfortunately, for him, Wait didn’t fall for his elaborate ruse, but warned that older residents may not be as lucky.
“DO NOT GIVE HIM ANY OF YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS!!! I REPEAT, DO NOT GIVE HIM ANY DETAILS!” she said.
“Please inform your loved ones so that they can be more careful.”
Netizens Amused
Netizens were tickled by the man’s attempts to scam Wati, with one commenter saying “Only fools will fall for it”.
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Others noted that the man’s cap, which displayed the SPF logo, still had a New York Yankees logo next to it.
Unless there’s been some sort of collaboration between our police officers and American baseball players to stop crime in Singapore, this was clearly a slip-up on the scammer’s part.
Tips to Avoid Falling Prey to Scams
Not all scams are as laughably ill-conceived as this, of course. Scammers are constantly evolving and netizens need to keep up.
For one, if you get an unsolicited call from a number with the “+65” prefix, you should either ignore the call or the caller’s instructions, as it’s likely a scam call. (remember, it’s with a +)
Always refrain from giving out personal information and bank details, whether over the phone or online. This includes passwords, OTPs, and even usernames.
Government agencies will never ask for payment through telephone calls or other social messaging platforms, which is often a ruse scam victims fall for.
If in doubt, make sure to call a friend or the police before you make any rash decisions.
Also, watch these entertaining anti-scam videos to the end:
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Featured Image: Facebook (Lid Wati Hassan)
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