The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has issued a warning to members of the public of calls claiming to be its officers.
The authority stated that members of the public have been receiving calls from different numbers, such as the Immigration Offender hotline “1800 3916150” that allows the public to call and provide information on immigration offenders and related activities.
According to the authority, the caller claimed to be an ICA officer and asked for the call recipient’s personal particulars or money transfers, saying that should he/she fail to do so, he/she would be deported to his/her country of origin,
“This is a scam,” ICA stressed, clarifying that these calls were not made by our officers.
- Don’t panic – Ignore the calls and caller’s instructions. No government agency will request for personal details or transfer of money over the phone or through automated voice machines. Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act as you may be overwhelmed by emotion and err in your judgment.
- Don’t believe – Scammers may use caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and display a different number. Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore. If you receive a suspicious call from a local number, hang up, wait a while, then call the number back to check the validity of the request.
For foreign residents receiving calls from persons claiming to be police officers or government officials from your home country, hang up the call and dial the number of your Embassy/High Commission to verify the claims of the caller. - Don’t give – Do not provide your personal information such as name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account or credit card details to suspicious or unknown parties.
ICA stressed that it takes a serious view of such scam calls as it undermines public trust in ICA.
“If you wish to provide any information related to such scams, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online,” it said.
To seek scam-related advice, members of the public may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg.
