Foreword
Having listened to people’s experiences of being scammed through my stint as a Ground Response Force Officer in the Singapore Police Force as a Full-Time Police National Servicemen (PNSF), I hope to raise awareness on the varying scams that have bloomed and those that are still around. I have found many similarities in the modus operandi of the scammers and hope that this opinion piece will let you gain some insight on preventing yourself from being the next scam victim.
Profile
Ricmond is an Organising Committee Member of the Sengkang Central Parent-Child Digital Safety and Wellness Committee, which holds various workshops on scam prevention and digital safety, as well as digital wellness. The programmes by the committee are supported by the Media Literacy Council, Singapore.
On the sidelines, Ricmond was a Ground Response Force (GRF) Officer during his National Service days and has experience dealing with scam victims and assisted them with making the Police Report. For his exemplary service, he was awarded the Commander’s Award for Best GRF (PNSF) Officer in 2020.
1. Statistics Relating To Scams
Number Of Scam Cases
Reported Cases in 2021
Amount Lost To Scam Cases
Up in smoke
Case Increase from 2020 to 2021
Scam Cases Relative To Other Crimes:
Scam cases made up more than half of the total crimes reported in 2021, 23,931 out of 46,196. This is a stark increase from the 15,651 scam cases reported in 2020. This has caused the overall crime levels to rise, even though physical crimes have declined.
The Big Question:
Why are so many people falling for scams and is it really that believable?
Statistics Source:
Singapore Police Force (SPF) Crime Statistics 2021
2. Common Scam Types
A. Job Scams:
What better way to scam others during the Covid-19 pandemic than come up with a job scam ruse, isn’t it? Many people have lost their jobs or have their income reduced and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for scammers to strike the metal while it is hot.
As you can see from the conversation above (which I had decided to engage in after receiving various of such messages during that period of time, just to pass time), it starts off slow with the scammer greeting you and slowly drawing you into the trap. Thereafter, offering you a superbly fantabulous opportunity. The scammers then proceed to refer you to their ‘bosses’ to show you how you can get started and be part of the illustrious group making ‘millions’. It is simply too good to be true.
On the bright side, I would be able to earn S$50 – S$100 a day, is it not? No. You are very wrong. The temptation of ‘quick cash’ can rarely be suppressed (‘Quick cash’ in reference to money that is earned easily through extremely sedentary activities or non-labour intensive work), and that is exactly what the scammers are targeting- one’s moment of gullibility and foolishness. Furthermore, what a coincidence, right? A Hiring Manager or Recruiter comes knocking on your door, and out of all platforms, on Telegram.
Besides those Work From Home (WFH) and part-time job offers, one must also beware of jobs that may be seemingly easy. One example would be the daily job offers on unverified phone applications (apps that are not downloaded from the usual Apple Apps Store or Google Play Store) or websites which requires you to like photos on social media platforms to earn money. Those gimmicks are usually tiered, with regular members only being able to earn up to a certain amount (i.e., there is a cap on the number of photos they are able to like). The app or website would then require users to ‘upgrade’ to a higher tier by paying money upfront so that they can like more photos to earn more money.
Another variant of the job scam is job opportunities to earn money by transferring money in and out of a particular unverified phone application (apps that are not downloaded from the usual Apple Apps Store or Google Play Store) or websites. You can be rest assured that once you have transferred your own money into their system, your money will be gone from you forever.
Never trust such messages which may pop up randomly, lest you want to be the next scam victim that is contributing to the total amount of money scammed and have your short moment of ‘fame’ on the papers.
B. Banking & Non-Banking Related Phishing Scams:
Dingggg~~ You’ve got mail! Oh shucks, I just won US$789 million from the lottery draw? Wow… this is surreal! Am I a multi-millionaire now? How do I claim my prize?
No. Wake up! Proceed to claim your prize and you may even wipe out your bank account and lose your pants in the process.
Received an irresistible offer from your local bank? A one-time opportunity to get your hands on something special? A limited edition commemorative note?
Chances are, the offer is a big fat scam. Any official message regarding the distribution and purchase of notes should come from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) through their official website. Once you have verified that there is indeed such a promotion ongoing, go down to your local bank branch to enquire. It will not be wise to enter any links or dial any phone numbers that have been listed in the SMS.
Another variant which has bloomed is the scam which involves scammers sending you an SMS to inform you that your bank account has been frozen due to unauthorised transactions or fraud. The SMS will usually come with the usual bank message IDs, e.g., DBS, OCBC, UOB, MayBank, etc, even though it is a scam. How scammers manage to accomplish such a feat boils down to how your phone sorts out messages based on message IDs. Typically, phones will automatically sort out the messages into the same message ID, even if it comes from a different source. So, it is entirely possible for a scammer to send an ‘official message’ from the bank, even though it is not authorised. Do not be scammed! The right way to resolve any outstanding issues with your bank is to approach your local bank branch or contact them through the official hotline (find their hotline from a reputable source instead of using the one provided in the SMS)!
While the example above is not entirely representative of what one might receive in their email inboxes or over text, I am sure all of you get the idea. Phishing scams may come in various forms and shapes, with some being extremely detailed and mimicking that of an official email from various companies. One important thing that should come to your mind at any point when receiving emails is that there is no free lunch in this world and if money is to be concerned, you will never be part of the equation.
Phishing scams have come a long way and are in an advanced state, which makes it very difficult for you to discern between a real email from the various companies and a falsified one. Fret not, when in doubt, just give the concerned company a call to verify the claims in the email. Do take note that you should do your due diligence to find the company’s phone number or email address from verified sources instead of using the one provided in the email.
One may jolt in excitement upon receiving notification that he or she has won a giveaway. That is, in its simplest form, human nature. Anybody on the street will be delighted when winning a giveaway. Then again, is it really a giveaway or is your bank account the giveaway for the scammers?
It may be very instinctive for you to press the ‘Claim Prize’ or ‘Register Win’ button. However, you should always try to recall if you ever registered or participated in a giveaway in the first place. If you have not, chances are that the email or text you have received is a scam. If you registered or participated in a giveaway, proceed with caution and be alert. Should the website or form ask for your bank details and sensitive personal information, you should call the organiser of the giveaway to verify if that is the procedure to claim the prize. Again, do your due diligence and find the organiser’s contact details elsewhere instead of relying on those provided in the email or text.
Received an email informing you that your payment has lapsed or your account has been locked? The thought of having your payment lapse or account being locked is frustrating, I am sure. Nevertheless, it should not be a moment where you should let down your guard and sell your bank account away from all that frustration.
Your account will not be locked out of nowhere. Your payment will not lapse out of the blue. When you receive such emails, you should recall if you did anything to compromise your account or if your bank account has sufficient funds to process payment and if it falls on the payment cycle (or date). If none of these seem to be the case, then there is a high possibility that the email is a scam.
You may also be thinking that you should just click on the button to safeguard your account or restore payment just to be on the safe side, right? That is the wrong move. Checkmate. The method you should adopt, which I have repeated countless times over the course of this opinion piece, is to contact the relevant company to verify the claims (using contact details from other verified sources instead of the email).
However, what is magical about such scam emails is that it seemingly gets sent during times when coincidental occurrences actually occur (such as bank having insufficient funds to pay for a service or falling exactly on the payment cycle). No, the scammers have not been spying on you. It is a pure coincidence. But, are you going to fall into their trip over a mere coincidence?
Did a Government Agency send you an SMS? Are you expecting something from that particular agency? While you may be compelled to feel that the message came with great importance, it is also important to remember that at any point, should the SMS contain links or phone numbers which require a follow-up action from you, you should be on your toes.
That is not to say that informative SMSes from Government Agencies have no possibility of being a scam, but the chances are much lower. Any SMS from important and reputable institutions that require a follow-up action from you has a higher probability of being scam as it may seek to get you to enter a website which may ask for your sensitive personal information or call a call-centre which may be run by a scam group.
Therefore, do not be quick to tap on any links or phone numbers. Take some time to scrutinise the message. If you really have to contact the particular agency, look up for their official contact details from a different reputable source.
C. E-Commerce Scams:
What a steal! A brand new iPhone 13 Pro for only S$499? I must be the luckiest person on earth to have stumbled upon such a deal!
Then again, are you really sure that you will receive the phone which you are intending to pay for? Many scams have taken the approach to falsify their advertisements and pages to mimic that of the official pages of various companies. Should the price of the item deviate significantly from the original item price, it signals a good time to be cautious.
Deals that are too good to be true are essentially too good to be true. Think twice before you make any purchases.
The other model of e-commerce scams which has taken hold of some poor victims is the scams which occur on shopping platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, and Carousell. While these platforms have come a long way in battling scammers, scams still do exist on such platforms. Sellers may attempt to get your contact details so that they can contact you privately and have a private payment arrangement instead of using the shopping platform itself. It is never too wise to engage in such an arrangement as you may only see your money disappearing into thin air without any product on your hand. It is advisable to process payment through the official channels and only pay upon receiving the product.
There have also been people who have purportedly claimed that they have been scammed as the item they have ordered appears different from that as described in the product image or description. When purchasing from online platforms, you are advised to read the fine print so that you will not miss out the details. In some cases, the scam cases were debunked, as the seller had stated that the item will be of a certain size instead of what is shown in the image, and the statement is located deep inside the product description which the buyer failed to notice. In this case, it is solely the buyer’s lapse of due diligence instead of the fault of the seller.
3. Why People Keep Getting Scammed
A Question That Remains To Be Deliberated Upon:
For as long as I can recall, I have been waiting for enlightenment on how people are so susceptible to scams. I am not entirely sure how the obvious signs of a scam can be overlooked, which often caused people to be scammed.
As I had deliberated on this topic for a considerable amount of time, I decided to launch Instagram Polls, which had an average sample size of 100, to figure out what the public thinks about why people fall for scams.
of the votes
The top choice for the reason behind why people constantly get scammed is, without doubt, greed and the urge to want more than you already have. It had garnered over 29% of the votes, which is still a considerable amount even though the vote distribution can be disputed to be quite levelled.
It is very straightforward, is it not? One is likely to get hooked onto the bait which offers them a splendid opportunity for material or monetary gain with a very miniscule contribution from the person. Time and time again, people have fallen prey to such scams which often promised extraordinary gains.
What people are often left with is an empty bank account drained of their hard-earned savings or retirement funds.
Unfortunately, there is no answer to quelling the thirst of humans for material or monetary gains. I am certain that people will continue falling victim to such scams even with the mass movement to educate the public. This is exactly why it is crucial for organisations to band together to ensure people do not transfer large sums of money out of the blue. With the advancement of the data analytics systems and commencement of the Anti-Scam Centre by the Singapore Police Force, it has, without doubt, made the scammers’ jobs more difficult.
of the votes
The second contender, with over 26% of the votes, is gullibility and naivety- the lack of judgement when a scam presents itself in front of them.
The question which people who have never been scammed will then be: How can people who have been warned about the rising number of scams still be scammed even when it is obvious that there are many errors in the scam emails or texts?
According to some people who I have asked, they mentioned that since humans are susceptible to mistakes, banks or reputable organisations are too. As such, they may truly believe that those organisations made a mistake and thus making them think that the spoofed emails or texts are true.
Scammers are often very courteous and reference ‘official’ sources which may sound real but, in actual fact, is not. Scammers are adept at playing the emotional game. They tell you what you like to hear and offer you a plethora of solutions to resolve your ‘issues’. That is one of the reasons why people get hooked onto the scam easily.
While I am of the perception that it is indeed true that organisations may occasionally make mistakes, it is highly unlikely for them to send emails or texts requiring you to engage in a follow-up action, such as providing personal particulars and/or one-time password (OTP) on a webpage (using the link provided in the email / text) or over the call.
Article Source:
“Why victims trust scammers over their loved ones” (The Straits Times, 2022)
of the votes
The last factor that I will touch on is fear / obedience to higher authority / organisations, which had received about 25% of the votes.
While such authorities or organisations have the prerogative to suspend, freeze, or terminate accounts or services at will, they do not have the power to abuse such privileges bestowed upon them. Unless you have committed a serious crime such as fraud or money-laundering, it is unlikely for your account to be suspended, frozen, or terminated out of the blue.
In other cases, the scammer will impersonate officials (such as police officers or government officials). They may even present you with their ‘badge / warrant card’. All of this is a sham. Police Officers or Government Officials will not contact you out of the blue, unless you have a pending case with them, of course! Then again, it is always good to contact the relevant departments or agencies through the official hotline to verify if they tried to contact you.
Therefore, while I sympathise with victims who truly believed that the emails or SMSes came from the authorities or organisations, they should have done their due diligence before hastily trying to resolve the issues mentioned in the texts. It does not take you too much time to contact the authorities or organisations (through their official helpline from a reputable source or going down to the branch).
Statistics Source:
“Scam victims likely to fall prey to scams again, survey found” (The Straits Times, 2021)
Blood, Sweat, and Tears:
What remains to be seen is whether our people, after various concerted efforts to publicise and educate the public on the various scam types, will continue to fall victim to the vultures who are constantly eyeing our secret stash.
4. How To Prevent Yourself From Being Scammed
Tip 1: Slow Down And Spot The Signs
When receiving an email or SMS, check the email address, message ID and phone number, and the contents inside it.
For Emails: Email addresses that appear funky or weird is a telltale sign of a scam. It may appear in the form of rearranged or misspelled words, and additional symbols or punctuation marks. Some scammers have also adopted techniques such as using letters which may appear the same- capital ‘i’ (i for india) and small letter ‘l’ (l for lima), and capital ‘o’ (o for oscar) and number ‘0’.
For SMSes: Message IDs and phone numbers that appear funky or weird is a telltale sign of a scam. Unfortunately, Scammers have evolved and often can spoof the message IDs and phone numbers of organisations or companies. Therefore, it is timely that you then scrutinise the contents of the SMSes.
For Contents In Emails And SMSes: Check the content for any spelling errors, punctuation mistakes, or grammatical flukes. A badly worded message is an immediate telltale sign. Further to this, if the contents direct a follow-up action from you, such as entering a website or calling a hotline to give your personal particulars or one-time passwords (OTPs), it is probably a sham. Do not blindly give out your personal particulars and OTPs.
Other variants (Telegram messages): When receiving an offer out of the blue anywhere online, always be vigilant! I have included some examples of how you can spot the signs:
1. Quick Easy Cash is never the way to go. You will never be able to get this ‘Quick Easy Cash’. Recruiters will not approach you via Telegram. Some scammers even included the company registration number of the recruitment company to make it believable, so do your due diligence and contact the recruitment company directly when in doubt (using contact details from reputable sources instead of the one provided in the message).
2. It will be good to look out for potential clues that might prove that it is all a scam. Scammers typically (though not always) set up accounts a few days or hours prior to messaging the victims. As shown below, the scammers have only added their profile picture a day before trying to send messages to me. The reason for doing this is because they want to avoid being tracked and detected and thus, change their accounts often and quickly. The images used on the profile picture may also belong to someone else. Not only that, the name provided may be a total fake.
3. You should keep a keen eye on messages which require follow-up actions, such as the one shown below. The scammer had tried to gain my trust by getting me to speak to her ‘colleague’ (in some cases, the scammer will get you to speak to their ‘boss’). The ‘colleague’ (another scammer) will then continue liaising with you and try to gain your trust. This is similar to the Singapore Police Force / China Police Impersonation Scam where the scammer allegedly presents you with their ‘badge / warrant card’ to show you that they are real officials. They will then provide you with another phone number for you to text or call (again, you may be referred to their ‘boss’ or ‘colleague’). SPOT THE SIGNS, STOP THE CRIMES!
Tip 2: Check From Official Sources
Your first action to take upon receiving any messages or emails from the organisations or companies will be to check from the official sources. Do not use the contact details provided in the messages or emails- search for it from reputable sources instead. Once you have verified that the messages or emails are indeed real, you can proceed with your business.
Should you be unable to contact the organisations or companies due to the various reasons (weekends, out of office hours, line busy), the best advice that I can give you is for you to wait out until a suitable time to call. Having your account suspended does not mean your funds will vanish into thin air. You can still wait until you are able to contact a representative from the organisation or company.
However, if it is claimed that your funds have been channeled out of your account due to various reasons, do not panic! Check your bank account (through iBanking or Mobile Application) to see if your funds are still intact (view the balance or holding balance). If all else fails, there is definitely a dedicated hotline which the bank maintains for emergency situations.
Tip 3: Do Not Be Tempted
No matter how attractive the offer or opportunity is, you are advised to exercise due diligence. A moment’s folly can cause you to feel the pinch from lost money. When given an offer (job offer, promotion for item, lucky draw, lottery win, etc), do verify with the concerned company / organisation. More often than not, the offer will turn out to be a scam.
Tip 4: Never Share Your Personal Information
Your personal details, login IDs, and passwords (including one-time passwords, OTPs) should never be revealed to anyone at any point. If you have mistakenly provided any of the sensitive information to any party, you should immediately contact the company / organisation concerned to check if there will be any implications.
Usually, there will only be implications if you have provided your password or OTPs to the scammers. Should the scammers get hold of your NRIC Number or Login IDs, there should not be any implications. However, given that the modus operandi of scammers have become seemingly sophisticated, it is always good to check.
A new variant of scam has also popped up. It involves the scammer getting the victim to scan a ‘QR Code’ so that they can retrieve the particulars of the victim. One must always exercise caution and be vigilant! Never scan a QR Code that has been provided by anyone else other than the government agency login pages on the SingPass mobile application. Even if you had accidentally scanned, you need not worry. The SingPass mobile application has a two-step procedure for you to verify the exact webpage in which you would like to log in to, with a ‘log in’ and ‘cancel’ button. You will just need to click on ‘cancel’ if you had scanned the wrong QR Code. I have included an example below:
Example 1: Scammer trying to get personal details through asking victim to scan QR Code
Example 2: How to look out for scams
Tip 5: Speak To Others And Seek Help
Do not be afraid to seek help if you think that you have made a mistake or lapse of judgement. It may be embarrassing but it beats having all your money sucked out or personal details leaked.
Confiding in a friend might be a good way to get good advice on the steps you should take moving forward. Given that you are in a panicked state, you are not likely to make a good decision for yourself.
There are many avenues where you can seek help: the company / organisation concerned, the Police, Anti-Scam Hotline, and National Care Hotline.
5. Scamming The Scammer
A New Phenomenon:
Along with the bloom of several new variants of scams, our brave souls have also weathered the storms to do an UNO Reverse.
(I went with my amended design to avoid copyright issues)
The UNO Reverse:
Question marks are abound, I am sure. So, what exactly is the ‘UNO Reverse’ in this context?
Well, in the simplest terms, the scammed have tried to exact their revenge on the scammers. For every little bit of information that they can get hold of, they will use it to dig deeper. They will use any and every means to find out who has been scamming them. Thereafter, they will put the information of those scammers on the line, in a bid to get the scammers to comply and return the money.
While this phenomenon is less common in Singapore, a number of YouTubers from around the world have used methods such as IP-tracking and tracing of digital footprints to gain control of the scammers’ computers to access their files, documents, and camera. They also fool the scammers into giving remote access to their computers through a variety of techniques, one of which being giving the scammers access to their computers, through TeamViewer or computer programs with similar functions, and secretly forcing the installation of a keylogger and tracing program.
When enough information about the scammer has been acquired, the YouTubers then contact them to give them a shock of their lifetime.
We Have Gotten Smarter:
Some brave warriors have even attempted to waste the precious time of the scammers by misleading them and pretending to be illiterate or unaware of the steps to navigate certain systems. Some have even provided false details so the scammers will be forced to guide them to reset their username or password patiently.
On the humourous end, I have seen some local videos of people leading the scammers on and finally throwing them back to where they belong- the trash. One particular video which I remember vividly had a person who claimed to the scammer that his bank account only had a few dollars left. The scammer did not believe him and wanted to see his bank account. Upon seeing that he ‘appeared’ to have no money, the scammer hung up.
I have faith in our people. We will outsmart the scammers and force them back into their tiny little hole.
The Caveat:
In the process of having a little fun, it is paramount that you still abide by the law.
In the course of teasing the scammer a little, you should not reveal his or her personal details to the public under any circumstances. You may be liable for doxing, even if he or she were to have committed an offence by scamming others.
Additionally, if you somehow managed to scam the scammer and obtained funds from him or her, you may also be liable for an offence.
One last thing, if you were able to obtain personal details from the scammer and somehow decided to annoy or irritate him or her, you may be liable for an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) if the scammer decides to pursue the case.
You may think that the scammer will never approach the Police, but you are simply playing with fire.
6. What Is Too Good To Be True Probably Is Not True
There Is No Free Lunch:
More often than not, you will have to give the other party something in exchange for another in return. A stark discount may be a key indicator that something is amiss. You will have to guard up and take your time to scrutinise the deal.
There are certain cases, however, which may allow you to get something completely free. In that case, you should not be asked to give anything to the other party at all. In those cases, lucky you.
Temptations:
While you may be tempted to seize the opportunity to get the deal before others do, you still have to exercise a certain level of caution. The scammers are constantly looking for people who act hastily so that they can work their magic.
7. Mindset
The Approach To Adopt:
Under any circumstances, you should always be in your zen mode. Why do I say so? You have to be calm and collected so that you can process all the information and decide on your next steps. When you are flustered, you tend to make more mistakes and end up regretting afterwards.
When in doubt, approach your close ones to discuss about the situation. They may be able to offer a better solution.
To Those Who Were Scammed:
It is really unfortunate that you fell for the scammers but it is time to move on. The money lost will not come back but what can is yourself. You can bring yourself back on your feet and earn back what is lost.
One thing that I have noticed about scam victims is that they are often hopeful that their money will come back someday. That is extremely optimistic and often surreal. Given that most scammers reside overseas, it is near impossible to claw back the money. I also realise that scam victims seem to have huge expectations on the organisations (banks, police, etc) to recover the monies that have been lost. While it is natural to have expectations of such reputable organisations, you have to know that you were the one who committed the mistake. Do not pin the blame on others.
I have had the experience of attending to some scam victims who were not only demanding, but also rude. It should register in their minds that investigation work for such cases can typically take between months and up to a few years. The money will not drop from the sky- it has to be clawed back from frozen bank accounts (if any money is even left in it). I get that you are frustrated and anxious for your precious money, but trying to rush the work will not cause your money to magically appear.
I must also comment on the recent news where local bank OCBC had decided to compensate all scam victims, for every dollar they had lost to scams. I believe that the maximum the bank should have done is to co-share the responsibility and to only compensate the victims half the amount. Why do I say so? If you remember what I had mentioned earlier, it is the victims’ sole responsibility for losing money to scams and nobody else’s. Given that the bank still had some distance to finetuning their processes and policies on bank SMSes, it is only conclusive that the bank only played a small part. The bank should not have to carry the weight of the victims’ mistakes.
I am also hopeful that you will learn from your past mistakes so that you can avoid being scammed again. Given that the percentage of people who get scammed again stands at close to half, you will really need to open your eyes wide and scan the fine details.
Written By: Ricmond Kong
Edition 1: 22 February 2022
Edition 2: 23 February 2022
A short insight into how scams are positioned and why people constantly fall for it.
