Advisory on Phone Scams

Dear fellow Singaporeans,

          The Singapore Consulate-General in Shanghai would like to alert Singaporeans to be aware of the dangers of telephone scams happening recently.  We hope that the following list, while not all-encompassing, will alert you to some of the common telephone scams in the Shanghai area:

1.     Fake “dangerous situation” / Money Laundering / Family member being kidnapped / Won a Prize

The caller would pretend to be the staff of a telecommunications company and call the victim to inform him / her that his / her telephone bill is in arrears.  The caller will then inform the victim that his / her bank account information has been leaked and is being used for money laundering and ask for the victim’s personal particulars such as name, address and bank account details.  Similar scams include the caller informing the victim that his / her family member has been kidnapped or that the victim has won a prize and ask for the victim’s personal and bank account details.

2.     “Call the Police”

The victim may be told that he / she has been the target of bank account or credit card fraud.  The caller will claim to be from the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and ask the victim to dial “114” (the Telephone Enquiries Hotline) to verify the number that the caller is calling from so as to build trust.  The number will appear to be from the PSB, but has actually been forged by illegal internet software programmes.

3.  Funds transfer

The caller will inform the victim that his / her bank account is subject to great risks and ask the victim to transfer all the funds into a “safe account”.  The caller will:

(1) Ask the victim to effect the transfer through the nearest ATM / bank as soon as possible;

(2) Ask the victim to stay on the line at all times;

(3) Ask the victim to stay away from the bank staff or bank security guards as they had leaked the information.

Some Prevention Tips:

Telephone scams are increasing in diversity and sophistication.  To help Singaporeans avoid the risks, here are some tips which one should keep in mind.  These are by no means exhaustive.

1.     Do not reveal your personal particulars or bank account information over the phone.

2.     Do not trust callers who tell you that your “bank account / credit card account is not safe”, “the bank account is involved in crime”, etc.

3.     The Police does not provide a “safe account” and will not ask you to transfer funds to the “safe account”.

4.     Be calm when you encounter such phone scams.  Ask the caller to wait and hang up while you contact your relatives, friends or the Police (Police hotline: 110 or go to the nearest police station) regarding the situation.

Singapore Consulate-General in Shanghai

(10 September 2014)