A man in Singapore unexpectedly captured a scam attempt on video after receiving a call while filming content for TikTok.
In a clip shared on his Facebook page last Saturday (18 April), the man answered what appeared to be a video call on Google Meet.
Midway through the call, he realised it was a scammer attempting to impersonate a police officer.
The OP received a Google Meet call from the scammer, who had a Singapore Police Force (SPF) logo as a display picture.
Source: Sunny Toh on Facebook
“Was literally filming content for TikTok… then a scam call came in,” the caption.
He added jokingly that the “content just delivered itself”.
During the call, the scammer appeared on screen wearing a mask and a cap.
Notably, the cap looked like it had two police logos on it.
Source: Sunny Toh on Facebook
The caller shared that his name was Michael from the police’s “investigation department”.
He explained that people were trying to take S1,000 from the OP’s bank account, and to cancel the transaction, he needed to verify his bank card details.
Source: Sunny Toh on Facebook
Instead of complying, the man played along and told the scammer that he had “lost” his card, seemingly catching the caller off guard.
The scammer continued his ruse, claiming it was a DBS-specific issue.
After the OP said that he had multiple bank accounts, except for a DBS account, the caller immediately hung up.
The experience serves as a good reminder that “scammers are evolving”.
In his caption, he added: “We need to stay one step ahead and keep educating the people around us.”
The incident comes after a 19 April advisory from SPF about a new variant of phishing scams involving Google Meet video calls.
Since 1 April, at least 13 such cases have been reported, with total losses amounting to at least S$32,000.
Source: SPF
In these scams, victims receive unsolicited video calls from individuals posing as SPF officers. Some scammers reportedly dress in uniforms or use official-looking logos to appear credible.
They may claim there are issues with victims’ bank accounts and ask for sensitive details such as internet banking credentials or One-Time Passwords (OTPs).
Police have reminded the public that officers will not contact individuals via non-official platforms like Google Meet or request sensitive financial information.
Members of the public are advised to be cautious of unsolicited video calls and avoid sharing personal or banking details.
MS News reached out to the OP for more information.
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Featured image adapted from Sunny Toh on Facebook.