At least S$1.3 million lost in October to scammers impersonating Simba staff members, government officials

SINGAPORE: At least S$1.3 million (US$1 million) was lost to scammers impersonating Simba staff members and government officials in October, police said on Thursday (Oct 29).

At least 59 cases were reported during the month.

In this scam variant, victims received unsolicited calls from scammers claiming to be Simba staff members, who claimed that the victims had purchased iPhones or subscribed to mobile plans or packages with the telco.

When victims denied making such purchases, the calls were transferred to another scammer posing as a Simba customer service employee.

The impersonator claimed that the victims’ details had been misused for the purchase and that further investigations were required.

The calls were then transferred to scammers impersonating government officials, including police officers and officers from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), purportedly to facilitate investigations.

Victims were instructed to transfer money to bank accounts or to withdraw and physically hand over the money or valuables, such as jewellery or luxury watches, to the people posing as police officers or MAS officers.

In one case, a victim transferred a total of S$285,000 to unknown bank accounts following the scammer’s instructions.

Victims would only realise they had been scammed when the scammers became uncontactable or when they sought verification from the relevant government agencies.

Police reminded the public that government officials would never ask them to transfer or hand over money or valuables, or transfer their calls to police or other government officials.

Members of the public are advised to download the ScamShield app, enable security features and verify claims with relevant organisations through official channels.

Those who suspect they have fallen victim to scams should contact their banks immediately to report and block fraudulent transactions, and lodge a police report.