At least S$8.5 million lost in December to phishing scams involving OCBC Bank
Published by Channel NewsAsia on 30 Dec 2021 07:26PM
SINGAPORE: At least S$8.5 million were lost in phishing scams involving SMSes impersonating OCBC Bank in December, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Thursday (Dec 30).
In a news release, the police said at least 469 victims have fallen prey to such scams since Dec 1, with most of the money lost in the past two weeks.
According to SPF, victims would receive unsolicited SMSes claiming that there were issues with their banking accounts, asking them to click on a link to resolve the issue.
Upon clicking, victims would be redirected to fake bank websites and asked to key in their iBanking account login details.
They would find out they had been scammed when they received notifications informing them of unauthorised transactions charged to their bank accounts.
It is “challenging and difficult” to recover the funds once they have been “fraudulently transferred out of the victim’s bank account”, said the police.
“OCBC Bank has warned its customers about the phishing SMSes using several different channels including its online banking platforms, social media page and media advisory,” the police added.
Members of the public are advised not to click on “dubious” URL links provided in unsolicited text messages. OCBC will not send SMSes containing Bitly links, said SPF.
“Always verify the authenticity of the information with the official website or sources. Never disclose your personal or Internet banking details and one-time password to anyone.
“Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately,” it added.
OCBC WARNS OF “POTENTIAL SURGE” OF SCAMS
OCBC on Thursday warned customers about the scams “given the potential surge in attacks this New Year weekend”.
Between Dec 8 and Dec 17, 26 customers reported a loss of about S$140,000 to phishing scams, said the bank in a media advisory sent to CNA.
“However, scammers’ phishing attacks have become particularly aggressive in recent weeks, especially during the Christmas weekend,” it added.
From Dec 24 to Dec 26, there were 186 customers affected, with about US$2.7 million lost.
“Once the funds have left the customer’s account, the possibility of recovery is very low,” said OCBC.
“They often reroute the monies through various accounts, making it difficult to track their movement and even harder to recover the cash.”
12 月，涉及华侨银行的网络钓鱼诈骗至少损失了 850 万新元
由亚洲新闻频道于 2021 年 12 月 30 日下午 7:26 发布
新加坡：新加坡警察部队（SPF）周四（12 月 30 日）表示，在 12 月涉及冒充华侨银行的短信的网络钓鱼诈骗中，至少损失了 850 万新元。
警方在新闻稿中表示，自 12 月 1 日以来，至少有 469 名受害者成为此类骗局的牺牲品，其中大部分钱在过去两周内丢失。
据 SPF 称，受害者会收到不请自来的短信，声称他们的银行账户存在问题，并要求他们点击链接来解决问题。
点击后，受害者将被重定向到虚假银行网站，并要求输入他们的 iBanking 帐户登录详细信息。
当他们收到通知他们向他们的银行账户收取未经授权的交易的通知时，他们会发现他们被骗了。
警方表示，一旦资金“被欺诈性地从受害者的银行账户中转出”，要收回这些资金“具有挑战性和困难性”。
警方补充说：“华侨银行已使用多种不同渠道，包括其网上银行平台、社交媒体页面和媒体咨询，向其客户发出网络钓鱼短信警告。”
建议公众不要点击未经请求的短信中提供的“可疑”网址链接。 SPF 表示，华侨银行不会发送包含 Bitly 链接的短信。
“始终通过官方网站或来源验证信息的真实性。切勿向任何人透露您的个人或网上银行详细信息和一次性密码。
“立即向您的银行报告任何欺诈性交易，”它补充说。
华侨银行警告诈骗的“潜在激增”
华侨银行周四警告客户注意这些骗局，“鉴于这个新年周末的攻击可能激增”。
该银行在发送给 CNA 的媒体咨询中表示，在 12 月 8 日至 17 日期间，26 名客户报告称因网络钓鱼诈骗损失了约 140,000 新元。
“然而，诈骗者的网络钓鱼攻击在最近几周变得特别激进，尤其是在圣诞节周末，”它补充道。
从 12 月 24 日至 12 月 26 日，共有 186 名客户受到影响，损失约 270 万美元。
“一旦资金离开客户的账户，收回的可能性非常低，”华侨银行表示。
“他们经常通过各种账户重新分配资金，难以追踪他们的动向，甚至更难收回现金。”
MOH warns of scammers impersonating its employee
Published by The Straits Times on Jun 16, 2021
Scammers have continued to target people in Singapore during the pandemic and are now weaving vaccines and vaccination drives into their false narratives.
Recent scams have adapted their plots from that of pretending to be a Chinese official to now purportedly being an official from the Ministry of Health (MOH).
This is an extension of vaccine-related scams that the ministry had warned about earlier this year.
MOH had said it was aware of websites, e-mails, SMS text messages and phone calls falsely claiming to offer registration for vaccination.
In an instance of the latest type of scams, a person reported receiving a robocall claiming to be from MOH to scamalert.sg, the anti-scam site operated by the National Crime Prevention Council.
According to the report dated May 19, the call claimed MOH had been trying to contact the person to get a vaccine jab, and instructed the person to press “9” to get in touch with the authorities.
There is also fake Ministry of Health phone call, asking you to perform a PCR test, and instructed you to press “3” to get in touch with the authorities.
The automated message was in both English and Mandarin.
The person who reported the call, however, had already received both doses of the vaccine, and urged others not to fall for the scam.
Ms. Carolyn Misir, a principal psychologist at the Police Psychological Services Department, said scammers use several persuasion techniques that lead victims deeper into the scam’s narrative.
“The process of the scam and persuasion techniques used are quite similar to the China officials impersonation scam, with some variation to include the Covid-19 vaccine,” she said.
“Victims may be given a case reference number and the actual medical term of an antiviral medicine such as Remdesivir, so that the victim believes the legitimacy and authority of the caller.”
She said the victim may be directed to as many as four callers, who provide social proof, pretend to offer help, and create anxiety and fear, all so victims give up their personal details.
Some may also be asked to meet a “staff member” who will then pass them “official documents”.
This induces victims to part with their money and become more convinced of the scam, said Ms. Misir.
The Straits Times understands that while vaccine-related scams are known to the police, there have been few victims who have lost money to such ruses.
However, Mr. Tom Kellermann, the head of cyber security strategy at software company VMware, warned that the public should still be wary, as those behind such ploys may be after personal information which is then sold online.
“The vaccine has only put a larger target on the healthcare industry’s back,” he said.
“In Singapore specifically, the accelerated vaccine roll-out has led to cyber criminals attempting to steal data and private information.”
He added that scams involving the healthcare industry and vaccines can have serious consequences, such as the hampering of the mass vaccination process and loss of confidence in the healthcare system.
“Taking the proper precautions is not only in your own interest, but also in the interest of those around you,” he said.
“The best defence is to always be careful of what you click. If something looks suspicious, it probably is.”
假冒卫生部人员行骗 当局吁公众勿轻信
海峡时报于 2021 年 6 月 16 日出版
在大流行期间，骗子继续以新加坡人为目标，现在正在将疫苗和疫苗接种驱动编入他们的虚假叙述中。
最近的骗局已经将他们的阴谋从伪装成中国官员变成现在据称是卫生部（MOH）的官员
这是该部今年早些时候警告过的与疫苗相关的骗局的延伸。
卫生部曾表示，它知道有网站、电子邮件、短信和电话错误地声称提供疫苗接种登记。
在最新类型的诈骗案例中，有人向scalaert.sg（国家预防犯罪委员会运营的反诈骗网站）反映, 称收到了一个自称来自卫生部的自动录音。
根据日期为 5 月 19 日的报告，该电话声称卫生部一直试图联系该人以接种疫苗，并指示该人按“9”与当局取得联系。
也有假冒卫生部，要你进行核酸检测，并指示按“3”与当局取得联系。
自动录音是以英语和普通话播放。
然而，报告电话的人已经接种了两剂疫苗，并敦促其他人不要上当受骗。
警察心理服务部的首席心理学家 Carolyn Misir 女士说，骗子会使用多种说服技巧，让受害者更深入地了解骗局的叙述。
她说：“骗局的过程和使用的说服技巧与中国官员的冒充骗局非常相似，但有一些变化，包括 Covid-19 疫苗。”
“可能会向受害者提供一个案例参考编号和抗病毒药物（如 Remdesivir）的实际医学术语，以便受害者相信来电者的合法性和权威性。”
她说，受害者可能会被导向多达四个来电者，他们提供社会证明，假装提供帮助，并制造焦虑和恐惧，所有受害者都提供了他们的个人信息。
有些人还可能会被要求与“工作人员”会面，然后他会向他们传递“正式文件”。
米西尔女士说，这会诱使受害者提供他们的钱，并更加相信这个骗局。
《海峡时报》了解到，虽然警方知道与疫苗相关的骗局，但很少有受害者因此类诡计蒙受损失。
然而，软件公司 VMware 网络安全战略负责人 Tom Kellermann 先生警告说，公众仍应保持警惕，因为这些策略的幕后黑手可能是在寻找随后在网上出售的个人信息。
“疫苗只是把更大的目标放在医疗保健行业的背上，”他说。
“特别是在新加坡，疫苗的加速推广导致网络犯罪分子试图窃取数据和私人信息。”
他补充说，涉及医疗保健行业和疫苗的骗局可能会产生严重后果，例如阻碍大规模疫苗接种过程以及对医疗保健系统失去信心。
“采取适当的预防措施不仅符合你自己的利益，也符合你周围人的利益，”他说。
“最好的防御是始终小心你点击的内容。如果有些东西看起来可疑，那很可能就是。”
Fake Singaporean actor Desmond Tan fraudulently defrauded love, Malaysia female manager was cheated of S$20,000 before she woke up.
Translate from Lianhe Wanbao on August 2, 2020 2:50 PM
During the month of falling in love with the artist ” Desmond Tan “, the Malaysian female marketing manager was defrauded of more than 60,000 ringgits (20,000 SGD). The female manager is a loyal fan of Desmond Tan. The scammer believes to be hacked into Desmond Tan’s Facebook, pretending to be Desmond Tan to contacted her, and scammed her for vacations, tax disputes and contract termination.
On October 4 last year (2019), Kelly (50 years old, marketing manager) who lives in Johor Bahru received a private message from her idol Desmond Tan on her Facebook page, which made her overjoyed.
Kelly said in the interview on August 1st 2020: ” Desmond Tan said thank me for my continuous support. I am really happy! After his participation in the Star Search, I supported his every drama show, I am he number one fan. Since it was a certified artist page, I trusted him.”
The impostor’s Desmond Tan asked Kelly to keep in touch with line and WeChat privately. What made her even more pleasantly surprised was that while her idol chatted with her, he also spoke sweetly to her and took the initiative to show her love, calling her “baby.” “My dear”, the two soon began “interacting” online.
She said: “A week later he asked me if I wanted to meet in Shanghai, and said that I only need to bear 30% of the cost, which is 7,000 ringgits (approximately S$2,400), but then the travel fell through and I couldn’t get the money back for the remittance.”
The impostor’s Desmond Tan explained that the brokerage company’s improper handling caused the travel to fall, and then claimed that he was facing tax problems, and asked Kelly to remit 3,000 ringgits to help him through the difficulties. At the end of last year, he invited her to Shanghai to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve for the second time. She paid more than 10,000 ringgits for the second time.
Kelly said: “He said this year (2020) that he was dissatisfied with the brokerage company for messing up our two overseas trips, so he quarreled with the company and had to terminate the contract, because after the termination of the contract, he will have freedom and he can also fall in love with me generously. He asked me to come out RM 40,000.
She has already pawned jewelry for Desmond Tan before, who has paid her sincerity to this relationship. This time she sold a car and borrowed from loan shark to help raise the “contract termination fee”. She surpassed more than 60,000 ringgits (about 20,000 SGD). Later, when she learned that she was deceived and that the person was not Desmond Tan, Kelly blamed herself for being too stupid and said that she was “heartbroken.”
Desmond Tan felt distressed after getting to know the fans been scammed, and reminded the fans that he would not contact the fans privately, or ask money from the fans.
Desmond Tan said in an interview with the ” Lianhe Wanbao” this morning that he is not aware of Kelly’s affairs, but he was very worried and distressed about what happened to Kelly.
He said: “I am worried that some fans may be unfamiliar with the Internet, or may listen to scammers, so I have to face and remind everyone that I will not use social media accounts to contact fans privately.”
He said that he would keep in touch with fans through the fan club, and he would not ask money from fans. I hope everyone will not be fooled.
Desmond Tan pointed out that in the past few years someone used his photos to set up fake accounts on social media. The situation has become more and more serious this year. In February this year, he was robbed and lost his mobile phone while on vacation in Bali Indonesia. he wonder is this related.
I advise people do not use their real photos on social media, so scammers cannot use them to scam your friends, like scammers in our neighboring country.
假陈泂江诈财骗情 马国女经理被骗2万元才梦醒
来自 / 联合晚报 发布 / 2020年8月2日 2:50 PM
与艺人“陈泂江”隔空谈恋爱八个月，马国女行销经理被骗走逾六万令吉（两万新元）后始知被骗。女经理是陈泂江忠实粉丝，骗子相信是骇进陈泂江面簿，冒充陈泂江主动联络她，并向她大灌迷汤，并以出国度假、税务纠纷和解约等理由骗钱。
去年（2019年）10月4日，住在新山的凯丽（50岁，行销经理）在面簿收到偶像陈泂江发来私信，让她喜出望外。
凯丽昨天（8月1日）受访时说：“他说感谢我一直以来的支持，我真的很开心！我从他参加才华横溢出新秀到后来每一部剧都很支持他，是他的头号粉丝。由于那是经过认证的艺人专页，所以我相信了他。”
这位冒牌的陈泂江叫凯丽通过Line和微信私下保持联络，让她更惊喜的是，她的偶像跟她聊天之余，还对她甜言蜜语并主动示爱，称她为“宝贝”“亲爱的”，两人很快便在网上开始“交往”。
她说：“一个星期后他就问我要不要去上海见面，并说我只需承担30%费用，也就是7000令吉（约2400新元），不过后来旅游告吹，我汇款的钱也拿不回。”
对方解释是经纪人公司处理不当导致旅游告吹，接着又称自己面对税务问题，请凯丽汇款3000令吉帮他度过难关，去年底第二度约她去上海庆祝圣诞节和跨年，这次要她支付超过1万令吉，凯丽都一一照办。
凯丽说：“他今年（2020年）说不满经纪公司搞砸了我们的两次海外之旅，所以跟公司吵架要解约，因为解约后才有自由，也可以大方跟我谈恋爱，这次他叫我拿出4万令吉。”
对这段关系付出真心的她之前已经为对方典当首饰，这次更是卖车和借大耳窿帮对方筹“解约费”，她前后一共投入超过六万令吉（约两万新元）。后来得知自己被骗，对方根本不是陈泂江时，凯丽自责自己实在太傻，并说自己“心很痛”。
陈泂江吁粉丝勿上当
陈泂江得知粉丝遭遇后感到心疼，提醒粉丝自己不会私下联系粉丝，更不会跟粉丝讨钱。
陈泂江今早接受《联合晚报》访问表示，对凯丽之事毫不知情，但他非常担心和心疼女凯丽的遭遇。
他说：“我担心有些粉丝可能不熟悉网络，也可能听信骗子的话，所以我要呼吁和提醒大家，我不会用社交媒体账号私下联系。”
他说自己都会通过粉丝团与粉丝保持联络，而且也不会跟粉丝讨钱，希望大家别上当。
陈泂江指出，过去几年发生有人盗用他的照片在社交媒体设立假账号，情况今年来越来越严重，而且今年2月他在印尼巴厘岛度假时被打抢遗失了手机，不知会不会与此事有所关联。
我建议人们不要在社交媒体上使用真实照片，因为像我们邻国的骗子会使用它来骗你的朋友。
Singapore widow loses almost S$55,000 to phone scammer impersonating DBS staff
Published by Mothership on January 15, 2020, 06:39 PM
A 60-year-old widow in Singapore has allegedly lost about S$55,000 to a scammer who pretended to be from DBS Bank.
Horrified by the experience, the woman’s daughter took to Facebook to share what happened to her mother in an attempt to seek help to get the money back.
Bogus DBS staff scammed S$55,000 via call
In a Facebook post on Jan. 14, one Labina Fariah wrote that her mother received a call via messaging app “Viber”.
The caller claimed to be a staff member from DBS Bank and lied to the victim that her bank account had been hacked.
The victim was wary initially, and questioned why he was calling via “Viber” and not with a local number.
But she eventually relented when the caller urged her to trust him with her bank card number and iBanking pin so that he could help rectify the matter, as she supposedly had been having issues with her iBanking app for some time.
The victim realised something was amiss when she received an email informing her that about S$18,000 was sent to this person called Sunita.
Scammer wanted more
That’s when she called Labina and told her what happened. In the meanwhile, the brazen scammer was still on the phone with the victim and wanted more.
The two of them were in disbelief and “thought it was just an error” until they updated the bank book.
Labina said that her mother’s “entire saving(s) was wiped out” after losing a total of S$54,999.06 and was only left with S$99 at the end.
“She broke down and I am not sure how to make things right for her”, Labina added in her post.
Labina elaborated that the family has not been in a good financial state after her father passed away.
What happened to her mother was exceptionally devastating as she “had saved whatever she could” and life as a single mum has not been easy.
Lodged police report & informed DBS
Along with the post, Labina uploaded photos showing that a police report was made at Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre.
Mothership confirmed with the police that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.
The report detailed that the incident happened between 3:55pm to 4:35pm on Jan. 13.
A total of four payees were allegedly added after she gave away the banking details and her transfer limit was also raised to S$90,000 that day.
These payees were traced to accounts under the State Bank of India, according to Labina’s subsequent Facebook posts.
The last transaction was made at 4:13pm and Labina noted that they were seeking help at a DBS branch office at Westgate by 5:00pm.
Mothership understands that DBS Bank is in touch with Libana and her mother to look into the matter.
DBS urged bank users to be vigilant
In response to media queries, a spokesperson from DBS Bank also urged bank users to always be vigilant and never give out their personal security information, enter sensitive information into unknown websites, click on URL links originating from unknown sources, or reply to unsolicited SMSes, e-mails or calls.
They highlighted that DBS/POSB will never request for customers to download software, disclose their Internet Banking access credentials (such as username or password, OTP, Digital Token approval), or to conduct any fund transfers over the phone.
Customers can call us at 1800 111 1111 (24-hour hotline) if they notice suspicious or unusual activity in their accounts.
Scammers are actively targeting bank customers in Singapore via automated calls, voice calls and SMSes, phishing for bank account and personal information that could lead to a loss of money.
新加坡寡妇因冒充星展银行员工的电话诈骗者损失近 55,000 新元
由慈母舰于 2020 年 1 月 15 日下午 06:39 发表
据称，新加坡一名 60 岁的寡妇被一名假装来自星展银行的骗子骗去了约 55,000 新元。
被这种经历吓坏了，这位女士的女儿在 Facebook 上分享了她母亲的遭遇，试图寻求帮助以追回这笔钱。
虚假的星展银行员工通过电话诈骗了 55,000 新元
在 1 月 14 日的 Facebook 帖子中，一位 Labina Fariah 写道，她的母亲通过消息应用“Viber”接到了一个电话。
来电者自称是星展银行的工作人员，并向受害人谎称她的银行账户已被黑客入侵。
受害者最初很谨慎，并质疑他为什么通过“Viber”而不是本地号码拨打电话。
但当来电者敦促她相信他的银行卡号和 iBanking 密码以便他可以帮助纠正问题时，她最终松了口气，因为据推测她的 iBanking 应用程序出现问题已经有一段时间了。
当受害者收到一封电子邮件，通知她大约 18,000 新元已发送给这个名叫 Sunita 的人时，她意识到有些不对劲。
骗子想要更多
就在那时，她打电话给拉比娜，告诉她发生了什么事。与此同时，厚颜无耻的骗子仍在与受害者通电话，并想要更多。
直到他们更新银行存折之前，他们两人都不敢相信并“认为这只是一个错误”。
拉比娜说，她母亲的“全部积蓄”在总共损失了 54,999.06 新元后被花光了，最后只剩下 99 新元。
“她崩溃了，我不知道如何让事情适合她”，Labina 在她的帖子中补充道。
拉比娜详细说明，父亲去世后，家里的经济状况并不好。
发生在她母亲身上的事情非常具有破坏性，因为她“已经尽力挽救了”，而单身母亲的生活并不容易。
提交警方报告并通知星展银行
连同该帖子，Labina 上传了照片，显示警方在 Clementi 社区警察中心进行了报告。
Mothership 向警方证实，已提交报告，调查正在进行中。
报告详细说明，该事件发生在 1 月 13 日下午 3 点 55 分至 4 点 35 分之间。
据称，在她泄露银行详细信息后，总共增加了四名收款人，当天她的转账限额也提高到了 90,000 新元。
根据 Labina 随后的 Facebook 帖子，这些收款人被追踪到印度国家银行的账户。
最后一笔交易是在下午 4:13 进行的，Labina 指出，他们正在下午 5:00 之前在 Westgate 的星展银行分行寻求帮助。
Mothership 了解到星展银行正在与 Libana 和她的母亲联系以调查此事。
星展银行敦促银行用户保持警惕
星展银行发言人还呼吁银行用户时刻保持警惕，切勿泄露个人安全信息，切勿将敏感信息输入未知网站，点击来自未知来源的 URL 链接，或回复未经请求的短信，电子邮件或电话。
他们强调，星展银行/POSB 绝不会要求客户下载软件、披露他们的网上银行访问凭证（例如用户名或密码、OTP、数字令牌批准），或通过电话进行任何资金转账。
如果客户发现账户中有可疑或异常活动，可以拨打 1800 111 1111（24 小时热线）联系我们。
诈骗者通过自动电话、语音电话和短信积极瞄准新加坡的银行客户，对银行账户和个人信息进行网络钓鱼，可能导致金钱损失。
CRIME ADVISORY: PARCEL PHONE SCAM
Published by Singapore Police Force on 8 April 2016 ·
The Police have received reports of complainants receiving calls from unknown persons claiming to be from companies providing courier services.
In most of these cases, the callers will inform the victims that their personal particulars had been used to send parcels containing fake passports or weapons. The calls will then be transferred to another person claiming to be a customs or police officer. The victims were then told to provide their personal particulars including name, identification number, address, passport number, bank account numbers, etc. The callers also instructed the victims to call back at designated timings to ensure the victims’ safety.
Members of public are advised to be vigilant when receiving calls from unknown origins and should adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Ignore such calls. Do not provide any personal information to the callers;Do not divulge your bank account and/or credit card details to the callers; andDo not follow the instructions of the callers to call them back.
If you have any information related to such crime, do not hesitate to call the Police hotline at 1800-255 0000, or dial ‘999’ for urgent Police assistance.
犯罪咨询：包裹电话诈骗
新加坡警察部队于2016年4月8日发布·
警方接获投诉人接到不明人士的电话，声称来自提供快递服务的公司。
在大多数情况下，来电者会告知受害者，他们的个人资料已被用来寄送装有假护照或武器的包裹。然后，电话将被转接到另一个自称是海关或警察的人。随后，受害人被告知提供姓名、身份证号码、地址、护照号码、银行账号等个人资料。来电者还指示受害人在指定时间回电，以确保受害人的安全。
市民在接听来历不明的电话时应保持警惕，并采取以下预防罪案措施：
• 忽略此类呼叫。不要向来电者提供任何个人信息；
• 不要向来电者透露您的银行账户和/或信用卡详细信息；和
• 不要按照来电者的指示回电。
如果您有任何与此类犯罪有关的信息，请立即拨打警方热线 1800-255 0000，或拨打“999”寻求警方紧急援助。