Man receives calls from scammers posing as bank and government officials, loses S$5,500
On 8 April, 29-year-old Marcus Ong fell victim to fraudsters posing as bank officers and government officials.
He was scammed out of around S$5,500 in a highly structured, multi-stage deception that transpired over just a few hours.
The incident unfolded at about 1pm when he received a call from someone claiming to be from HSBC.
What followed was an escalation of events involving what appeared to be an “official investigation” involving fake representatives from authorities.
Source: @marcdjagger on TikTok
Three calls over a few hours
During the first call, the ‘HSBC representative’ alleged that suspicious transactions had been made on his account — including sums of $3,000, $800 and $900.
The man, who already knew his NRIC details, also warned Marcus that his identity may have been compromised.
He was then guided through what appeared to be a formal escalation process involving case numbers and verification steps.
Source: @marcdjagger on TikTok
The scammer allegedly referenced official-sounding procedures and instructed him to cooperate in order to resolve the issue.
Fake government officer and official-looking links
Marcus said he was then transferred to a second individual claiming to be a “senior investigation officer” from the Ministry of Law.
This individual subsequently directed him to a link resembling a legitimate government website.
He was asked to input verification codes, which he later realised may have been used to legitimise the impersonation.
According to Marcus, the scammers also sent him links and references resembling official MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) e-services pages, further reinforcing the illusion of authenticity.
Source: @marcdjagger on TikTok
Fear tactics escalate into ‘money laundering case’
The situation intensified when Marcus was told he was allegedly linked to a wider money laundering investigation involving multiple suspects and large sums of money.
He said he was informed that he could be arrested and detained.
His assets and bank accounts could also be frozen if he failed to comply.
At one point, he was allegedly told not to inform friends or family, as it could compromise the “investigation”.
Source: @marcdjagger on TikTok
Marcus described how fear of arrest played a major role in his compliance.
He admitted that he was more concerned about legal consequences than financial loss.
Transfer request leads to financial loss
Marcus said he was eventually instructed to transfer funds into a separate account supposedly set up for “secure handling” during the investigation.
However, his transaction limit was reached before further transfers could be made, which he now believes prevented additional losses.
Source: @marcdjagger on TikTok
It was only after speaking to a colleague that he began to suspect something was wrong.
He later contacted his bank and reported the incident to the police.
Even after doubts were raised, Marcus said he initially struggled to accept he had been deceived, believing the verification steps made the process legitimate.
Speaking to MS News, he also recalled that two of the callers had strong Singaporean accents and the last caller sounded like an older man.
These small details made him believe in the ruse even more.
‘Just take it as a lesson’
Marcus told MS News that he has since tried to move on from the incident, describing it as a painful but necessary lesson.
Although he has lodged a police report and informed the bank, the video editor accepted that he will not be able to recover the funds lost.
“It happened, just take it as a lesson,” he said. “In the big picture, S$5,500 is two months’ pay… just move on.”
Source: @marcdjagger on TikTok
Marcus added that his main reason for sharing the experience was to potentially prevent similar scams from happening to others.
Police document referenced in scam
Screenshots seen by MS News showed a document titled as a “warrant of arrest & freezing of assets” citing anti-money laundering provisions and threatening fines, imprisonment and asset seizure.
It referred to Marcus as a “suspect” and used the logos of the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore State Courts.
Source: @marcdjagger on TikTok
The document also instructed the victim to provide banking information and comply with a supposed investigation process.
Authorities in Singapore have repeatedly warned about impersonation scams involving fake officials.
In such scams, victims are pressured through fear, urgency, and isolation tactics.
Marcus said the experience left him reflecting on how convincing such scams can be when combined with official-sounding language, staged procedures, and psychological pressure.
He has urged others to verify any unexpected calls involving financial or legal threats directly through official channels before taking action.
Also read: Deepfakes of PM Wong & other senior govt officials used in impersonation scam, 1 victim lost S$4.9M
Deepfakes of PM Wong & other senior govt officials used in impersonation scam, 1 victim lost S$4.9M
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Featured image courtesy of Marcus and adapted from Race Blog for illustration purposes only.
