Singapore Police Force disrupts over 900 scam attempts in joint operation with 4 banks in Singapore
On Wednesday (11 Nov), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) announced that over 900 scam attempts have been successfully disrupted.
The joint operation consisted of an initiative among the Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) of the Singapore Police Force’s Cyber Command, DBS, UOB, OCBC, and GXS.
As a result, the police estimated that the interventions averted over S$35 million in potential losses that would have otherwise been transferred to scammers.
Sent over 27,000 SMS alerts to potential scam victims
Through the deployment of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology, the collaboration stopped scams of multiple typologies, including e-commerce scams, job scams, friend impersonation scams, government official impersonation scams, and investment scams.
Source: Ron Lach on Pexels, for illustration purposes only
Furthermore, the collaboration allows for rapid information exchange between the ASC and its partner banks.
This allows for quick identification of potential victims and timely intervention to safeguard their finances.
From 1 Sept to 31 Oct, ASC officers and the participating banks sent over 27,000 SMS alerts to more than 15,000 bank customers identified as potential scam victims.
Source: Charlotte May on Pexels, for illustration purposes only
Add & set up security features to your accounts
In the 11 Nov press release, the police urged members of the public to adopt “ACT” against scams. The ACT acronym consists of the following actions:
- Add security features.
- Check for signs of a scam.
- Tell the authorities and others about scams.
First, add the ScamShield app to your devices and set up security features for personal accounts, such as banks, social media and Singpass accounts.
These security features can include transaction limits for internet banking, such as PayNow.
Setting a transaction limit can also help limit the amount of funds lost should a scam occur.
Check legitimacy through ScamShield Helpline
As a precaution, check for signs of a scam by asking questions, fact-checking requests for personal information and money transfers, and verifying the legitimacy of online listings and reviews.
Source: Tim Samuel on Pexels, for illustration purposes only
The police reminded members of the public to take time to pause and check before proceeding with any transactions.
SPF added: “If it is too good to be true, it is probably untrue, and a scam.”
Tell family, friends & authorities about scams
Lastly, the police advise the public to tell the authorities, family, and friends about scam encounters by reporting to the bank, ScamShield, or by filing a police report.
Source: Wikipedia
For more information on scams, visit the ScamShield website or ring the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
Those with information on scams can also call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or provide information through SPF’s i-Witness portal.
The police said it will keep all information strictly confidential.
Also read: SPF cyber operation detects 383 scam victims & prevents over S$17.4 million in potential losses
SPF cyber operation detects 383 scam victims & prevents over S$17.4 million in potential losses
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Featured image adapted from Wikipedia and Charlotte May on Pexels.