PUB, SP Group and Singpass impersonated by scammers amid surge in phishing cases: Police

SINGAPORE: The police on Tuesday (Jun 7) renewed their calls for caution amid a surge in phishing scams involving emails and SMSes purportedly from government and public service agencies.

At least five victims have fallen prey to these scams since the start of June, said the police, adding that total losses amounted to more than S$9,700. 

Victims of such scams would receive emails or SMSes from scammers impersonating government and public service agencies including national water agency PUB and SP Group, or government services such as Singpass, warned the police. 

These emails and SMSes would bait victims into clicking an embedded link.

Victims would then either be told that they had paid their bills twice and should request a refund, or that their Singpass had been disabled or locked due to security reasons but could not be reactivated. 

Upon clicking the links, victims would be redirected to spoofed websites impersonating government and public service agencies. They would then be tricked into providing their personal information, Singpass login credentials as well as credit or debit card details.

The victims would only realise that they had been scammed when they discovered unauthorised transactions made with their credit or debit card.

The police advised members of the public to not click on URL links provided in unsolicited emails and SMSes.

They should also always verify the authenticity of the information with official sources.

Individuals should also never disclose their personal information, Singpass login credentials or credit/debit card details to anyone. Fraudulent card charges should be reported to the bank and the card should be cancelled immediately. 

Those with information relating to such crimes can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit it online.