At least S$6.7 million lost in government official impersonation scams since June
Since June 2025, at least 80 cases involving scammers posing as government officials have been reported, with total losses of at least S$6.7 million. Victims were deceived into handing over cash, gold bars, or valuables for bogus investigations.
SINGAPORE: At least 80 cases of government official impersonation scams involving the physical collection of money or gold bars have been reported since June 2025, with total losses amounting to no less than S$6.7 million, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a statement on 2 July.
In these cases, victims were typically contacted by scammers impersonating officials from banks such as DBS, other financial institutions, or government agencies.
They were falsely told they had carried out unauthorised banking or financial transactions, or that their personal details—such as phone numbers—had been linked to fraudulent activities.
In some instances, victims were told they had unpaid premiums related to new or expiring insurance policies.
When they denied involvement in the alleged transactions, the scammers transferred them to another person posing as an officer from agencies such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the SPF, the Ministry of Law, or even foreign authorities such as the China Police.
These scammers would accuse the victims of being involved in serious crimes, including money laundering.
Victims were then coerced into withdrawing cash, buying gold bars, or declaring valuables such as jewellery or luxury watches.
They were instructed to either hand over these items to unknown individuals or leave them at discreet locations for "investigation purposes".
Victims typically realised they had been scammed only when the fraudsters became uncontactable or after seeking verification from the authorities.
The police have urged the public never to hand over money or valuables to unknown individuals, nor to leave such items in unattended locations for collection.
They emphasised that Singapore government officials will never, under any circumstances during a phone call, ask members of the public to transfer money, disclose banking login credentials, install apps from unofficial sources, or transfer the call to the police.
To protect themselves, members of the public are advised to adopt several precautionary measures.
These include installing the ScamShield app to block scam calls and filter SMSes, and setting lower transaction limits and notification thresholds.
Victims are also encouraged to activate the money lock feature offered by some banks to prevent digital transfers of safeguarded funds.
Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately.
Scam signs can also be verified through official sources such as ScamShield or via its 24/7 helpline at 1799.
Those who believe they may have fallen victim to a scam are advised to contact their bank immediately to block any fraudulent transactions, inform the authorities, and lodge a police report.
According to the SPF’s Annual Scams and Cybercrime Brief 2024, a total of 1,504 government official impersonation scam cases were reported last year, resulting in losses of at least S$151.3 million.
The most affected age group was those aged between 50 and 64, who made up 28.6 per cent of cases. Most victims were contacted via phone calls or WhatsApp messages.
For more information or assistance, the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg.
