Scam: Forum: Hang up immediately on suspicious calls

Forum: Hang up immediately on suspicious calls

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-hang-up-immediately-on-suspicious-calls

2025-03-20

The recent case of “Jane”, who lost $1.2 million to scammers posing as police officers, highlights the need for a stronger and clearer message to prevent such incidents (Woman loses $1.2m to scammers who pretended to be officers from police’s Anti-Scam Centre, March 18).

Jane, a finance professional, was deceived into believing she was under investigation, pressured into secrecy and manipulated into transferring her life savings.

The key lesson in this case is that scammers rely on prolonged engagement to manipulate their targets. The best defence is to stop the conversation before it escalates.

The moment a call feels suspicious, hang up. No government agency or law enforcement body will demand sensitive personal details, bank statements or money transfers over the phone or on WhatsApp.

There can even be a nationwide tagline – “Stop Scams: Hang up on suspicious calls” – as part of public awareness efforts to combat scam calls and impersonation fraud.

A clear and decisive message will reinforce the public’s instinct to end scam conversations early before manipulation takes hold.

Gabriel Chia