Since the OCBC phishing scam saw many victims lose their life savings, Singaporeans have grown increasingly sensitive to scams.
New scams continue to emerge, however. And this time, it involved the misuse of Singpass access to digital services, using scam surveys.
The police have since warned the public to be highly alert of such scams concerning Singpass QR code scans.
They also strongly advised all never to scan any Singpass QR code that’s not given to them by official websites.
On Tuesday (22 Feb), Singapore Police Force released a media statement warning the public against a new survey created by scammers who misled victims into scanning their QR codes.
These surveys were sent to participants recruited from online forums and e-commerce sites.
They were allegedly conducted on behalf of established companies or organisations in Singapore. Scammers would request for participants to complete them through WhatsApp.
Upon completing the surveys, participants would then ask the victim to scan a Singpass QR code with their Singpass app to attain monetary rewards.
However, the Singpass QR code provided by the scammers was a screenshot taken from a legitimate website.
By scanning the QR code and authorising transactions, victims unknowingly gave the scammers access to certain online services.
The scammers would misuse the access to register for businesses, subscribe for new mobile lines or open new bank accounts —all under the victims’ names.
Victims would later learn that they’ve been scammed once they were notified of suspicious transactions by their telecommunications service bank or received a message in their Singpass Inbox that their personal details had been retrieved by someone else.
To clamp down on such scams, the police advised members of the public to stay vigilant to protect themselves from falling for such online scams.
They strongly reminded the public not to scan any Singpass QR code sent by someone else and always verify with the official sources if you receive such information.
Take extra precautions by checking whether the URL domain displayed on your Singpass app matches the digital service you are currently accessing.
If you ever encounter questionable acts, you can make a police report by calling the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submitting it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
Think twice when you encounter offers that look too good to be true, as these offers could potentially be scams.
In the meantime, always stay vigilant. This way, we can protect our loved ones from becoming the next scam victim.
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Featured image by MS News.
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