Scam victims will receive ‘warning letter’ from ‘Commissioner of Police’
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has alerted of a new scam that has hit town, where victims will receive a “warning letter” purportedly from the “Commissioner of Police”.
According to screenshots circulated online, the letter would allege that the victim had been viewing obscene materials, among other offences.
Source: Dean Drobot on Canva. Photo for illustration purposes only.
Scam victims will get unsolicited email signed by ‘Commissioner of Police’
In a news release sent to MS News on Sunday (28 Dec), SPF said victims would receive an unsolicited email.
The “official warning” within would carry a letterhead with the police crest and bear the names of SPF, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
It would also be signed by the “Commissioner of Police”.
Letter would accuse victims of sexual offences
The letter would claim that a “criminal investigation” had been initiated against the victim.
They would be accused of being “conclusively linked” to various sexual offences, including:
- possession, viewing and transmission of paedophilic and obscene materials
- initiation and participation in sexually explicit communications with minors over the Internet
- unauthorised access and misuse of computer systems to facilitate these activities
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
Victims threatened with arrest & exposure
The victims would be instructed to submit a written statement to an outlook email address within 48 hours of receiving the notice.
They would be threatened with serious consequences if they failed to do so, including:
- arrest by the police
- registration into the National Sex Offenders Registry
- exposure to child protection agencies and the media
Additional criminal charges will be brought against them if they attempt to obstruct the investigation, victims would also be told.
Emails not issued by SPF or Govt
SPF clarified that these emails are not issued by SPF or the Government.
Government officials will never ask for money and bank login details, instruct you to install unofficial apps or transfer your call to other officials over email or phone, SPF explained.
It urged members of the public not to transfer or hand over valuables to unknown persons whose identity is unverified.
They should also not leave valuables at a physical location for someone else to collect, nor disclose personal details to unknown persons.
The public is advised to adopt precautionary measures, including adding the ScamShield app and setting up security features for financial transactions.
They may also check for scams via ScamShield of the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
If scams are encountered, they should alert the authorities, family and friends.
Also read: Woman in M’sia scammed of S$378K by ‘anti-scam’ firm she hired to recover S$470 lost to scammers
Woman in M’sia scammed of S$378K by ‘anti-scam’ firm she hired to recover S$470 lost to scammers
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Complaint Singapore on Facebook and Dean Drobot on Canva. Photo on the right for illustration purposes only.
