MOH warns of SMS scams as Singapore begins Covid-19 vaccination drive
Published by The Straits Times on JAN 8, 2021, 8:17 PM SGT
SINGAPORE – As invitations roll out by text message for some to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations, scammers are jumping on the bandwagon to dupe other members of the public.
Text messages, purportedly from a pharmaceutical company approved to provide the Covid-19 vaccine, have asked recipients to click on a link or make a phone call to schedule appointments for vaccination.
The Ministry of Health on Thursday (Jan 7) put up a notice to urge people to be wary of such scams and to verify the authenticity of text messages before offering personal or financial information.
“The text messages are not from MOH, and MOH did not approve any pharmaceutical company to contact anyone directly. We urge recipients not to respond to the messages,” the notice said.
Ms Grace Chng, who received such a message on Tuesday, did just that.
It was from a number she did not recognise but bore the name “CHUANXIN”.
The message, which read, “Modena, an American pharmaceutical company, has been approved to provide you with Covid-19 vaccine”, instructed her to message another number on WhatsApp for registration.
“I have come across a number of scam text messages but I was surprised that this one was quite insidious. Unfortunately, these days you have to distrust before you can trust,” said the 65-year-old writer.
Singapore has kicked off its nationwide vaccination drive, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong among those receiving the jab on Friday.
The MOH has started sending out SMS invitations to those who are eligible to register for the vaccination, starting with healthcare workers.
Those who receive invitations should check that the link in the SMS ends with “.gov.sg” before clicking on it, said the ministry on its website.
They should also not forward messages to others, as each invitation is unique, it added.
The MOH has also warned of another scam in which calls or text messages falsely inform recipients that they had been in close proximity to someone who had tested positive for Covid-19. These messages request for personal or financial information in return for a test kit and results.
Those who wish to verify the authenticity of such messages, or have more questions on the Covid-19 vaccination exercise can call the MOH hotline on 1800-333-9999.
Spotting a scam
– No government agency will request banking account log-in details or personal particulars over the phone.
– Ignore calls from unknown numbers. Scammers may mask their actual phone numbers and display a different number using ID spoofing technology. However, all incoming international calls are prefixed with a plus sign.
– Stay vigilant when receiving unexpected international calls, and reject those with spoof local numbers.
– Never disclose personal or Internet banking details and one-time password to anyone.
– For more information on scams go to the Scam Alert website or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.
本地出现冠病疫苗诈骗短信 卫生部提醒公众不要上当
来自 / 联合早报 发布 / 2021年1月9日 6:54 AM
本地出现诈骗份子发出冠病疫苗和病毒检测的短信，卫生部提醒公众不要上当。
坊间近日流传谎称是来自药剂公司的短信，发件人指他们获得授权，为收件人提供冠病疫苗。
也有一些诈骗电话和短信，称收信人和冠病确诊病患有近距离接触，要求收信人提供个人或财务资料，以换取冠病检测仪和检测结果。
卫生部强调，它并没有发这些短信，也没有授权任何药剂公司直接联系公众，因此劝请公众不要回应这些短信。
此外，卫生部也不会通过电话向公众索取个人和财务资料，公众不应回应提供。
公众若接到任何试图索取个人或财务信息的电邮或来电，应该先查证内容真伪，卫生部热线是11800—333—9999。
卫生部也在网站上发出通知，冠病的疫苗接种计划正在陆续开展，其中医疗人员将会率先接种。当局已开始发送短信，让符合条件的人报名接种疫苗。
当局提醒，公众如果收到来自卫生部的短信，不应转发给他人，因为短信中的报名网址是独特的。公众也应确保短信内网址的后缀是“.gov.sg”才点入。
公众如果对接种计划有任何疑问，同样可拨打卫生部热线查询。