Police warn of bail scam

Police warn of bail scam

Police said criminals are coming up with more innovative ways to cheat unsuspecting victims.

They reminded the public to be vigilant against scams.

In a statement, the police said they received reports on the "police bail" phone scam recently.

In this scam, victims received calls purportedly from China, with the "+86" country code.

The caller would claim to be the victim's friend and allege that he had been arrested by police while in China.

The scammer would then ask the victim to transfer a sum of money to pay the bail or fines for his release.

Victims who acceded to the scammer's request would eventually discover that it was a scam after establishing contact with their friends.

So far victims have transferred sums ranging from S$800 to S$16,000 to a bank account in China.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

S'poreans still falling victim to scratch-and-win scams in Malaysia

Singaporeans still falling victim to scratch-and-win scams in Malaysia

Singaporeans are still falling victim to scratch-and-win scams in Malaysia - despite many warnings and an ongoing crackdown by the authorities across the Causeway.

And although the number of reported cases has fallen, the con artists are making off with more money each time.

The average amount stolen has hit $6,300, Singapore police statistics show, up from $4,000 last year. At least five victims have reportedly lost more than $10,000 each.

The scam works like this: The crooks approach the victims and ask them to try their luck with a scratch card.

~News courtesy of Straits Times~

Police warn public about lottery scam

Police warn public about lottery scam

Police have issued a warning about a lottery scam involving an email purportedly sent by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) with its logo.

The police said a report was made on Wednesday. The complainant had received an email allegedly sent by an airline company to inform the person that a lottery prize money amounting to over US$100,000 had been won.

The complainant later received another email, purportedly sent by the SPF with its logo displayed, to verify the complainant's "winning" status as the recipient of the airline company's lottery programme.

The police have clarified that this is a scam.

In a statement, the SPF said it does not endorse any private sales promotions or lucky draws, and would like to remind the public to be wary of emails asking for money transfers in exchange for prizes or other rewards.

It added that the police take a serious view of such email scams as it undermines the public's trust in the police force.

Anyone who receives such emails should do the following:

1) Call the police immediately at '999' to report the case;
2) Do not give one's particulars or bank account details over the Internet to unknown persons.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~