Scam alert: People posing as officers from cyber-security agency and police
SINGAPORE – The Singapore Cyber Emergency Response Team (SingCert) has received multiple reports of scammers impersonating officers from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the police.
These scammers use e-mails that contain fake court orders to deceive people, said SingCert on Sept 27.
The scammers claim that a court order has been filed against the recipient’s internet protocol (IP) address for illegal activities. They then pressure potential victims to respond within 24 hours to avoid legal proceedings.
An IP address is a unique numerical identifier assigned to every device connected to the internet or a network. It enables devices to communicate with one another, whether on a local network or the broader internet.
The public is advised to stay vigilant and not respond to such e-mails. CSA or police officers will never request money transfers and banking information or ask you to download software from unofficial sources.
People can verify the authenticity of e-mails claiming to be from CSA by e-mailing singcert@csa.gov.sg or reporting the incident to SingCert via its reporting form online.
Those who have fallen victim to such scams or incurred any monetary losses are advised to lodge a police report at any neighbourhood police post or online.
Those who wish to provide information related to these scams can tap the police hotline 1800-255-0000 or the police’s iWitness portal.
Police mid-year scam and cyber-crime statistics, released on Aug 22, show a 16.3 per cent rise in scam cases for the first half of 2024, reaching a record high of 26,587 compared to 22,853 in the same period of 2023.
In the first half of 2024, there were 580 cases of government official impersonation scams in Singapore, with victims losing $67.5 million. This amounts to an average loss of over $116,500 per case.
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