By Singapore Police Force (SPF) alerts members of the public to beware of fraudulent purchases charged to mobile phone bills.
It said that it has received several reports where victims informed that they had incurred charges to their mobile phone bills after providing a three-digit PIN number to strangers whom they befriended over Facebook.
The Police said that scammers initiated contact with victims by sending a friend request via Facebook, adding that in some cases, the scammers even set up Facebook accounts which closely resembled that of victims’ friends.
The Police said that scammers initiated contact with victims by sending a friend request via Facebook, adding that in some cases, the scammers even set up Facebook accounts which closely resembled that of victims’ friends.
It then noted that they then asked for the victims’ mobile phone number and mobile service provider.
“With the victims’ mobile phone number, the scammers then made online purchases of gaming credits/online gift cards,” the Police said.
The cost of such purchases was charged to the victims’ mobile phone bills after the victims provided the One Time Password (OTP)/Verification Code to the scammers.
Therefore, victims only know that they have fallen prey to the scam when they receive their mobile phone bills.
The Authority suggested for members of the public to take the following precautions to protect themselves:
The Authority suggested for members of the public to take the following precautions to protect themselves:
- Do not share personal information including OTP/Verification codes to anyone. Such information is useful to scammers.
- Be wary of friend requests from strangers on social networking sites. They may not be who they claim to be.
- Report any fraudulent charges detected on your mobile phone bill to your mobile service provider immediately.
- If in doubt, please call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg.
