At least $8.8m lost to scammers claiming to be ICA officers, fake ads offering help to get S’pore PR status

SINGAPORE – At least $8.8 million has been lost to scams involving the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) since January, the authorities said.

ICA and the police, in a joint statement on Sept 25, said there have been at least 148 reported cases across two different types of scams.

One involved scammers impersonating ICA officers to demand money and the other involved fake advertisements offering help with applying for a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) status.

In the first scenario, victims would receive calls from scammers claiming to be from ICA, who would tell victims that their personal details have been misused, or that their phone numbers have been linked to criminal activities, such as transmitting scam messages.

The calls would then be transferred to another scammer impersonating a China official, who would demand that victims transfer monies or hand over cash for “investigation” or “bail” purposes.

In some cases, victims were also asked to meet unknown individuals to sign fake documents.

Most victims would realise that they had been scammed only after making multiple monetary transfers or when the scammer became uncontactable.

At least 117 of such cases have been reported since January, with at least $8.4 million lost.

In the second scenario, victims would come across advertisements on social media platforms, such as Facebook, offering help with getting PR status in Singapore.

Those who click on the advertisements would be directed to the website of a fake consultancy agency where they would be prompted to submit their personal particulars, including their mobile numbers, through a form.

The scammers would then contact the victims via WhatsApp and ask them to pay “fees” ranging from $200 to $90,000 to proceed with the PR application.

This is done “under the pretext of improving their chances of success through investments in companies, purchases of academic certifications and donations”, said the statement.

The victims were instructed to make bank transfers or pay cash to unknown individuals, before receiving a fake automated acknowledgement e-mail supposedly from the ICA.

The e-mail would contain an attachment of a fake InPrinciple Approval (IPA) letter bearing the ICA letterhead.

Some victims realised they had been scammed only when they asked ICA to verify the authenticity of the IPA letters.

The ICA has been alerted to at least 31 reports of cases involving such fake e-mails, resulting in losses of at least $400,000.

The Straits Times earlier reported that a 62-year-old Malaysian woman had lost RM762,700 (S$238,500) after falling for such a ruse.

“ICA is aware of commercial entities or consultants who claim to be able to help applicants improve their chances of success in obtaining long-term immigration facilities such as Singapore PR,” the statement said.

“ICA does not support or endorse such services. Applicants who choose to engage commercial entities or consultants are advised to exercise caution.”

The authority has advised the public to submit any applications directly to ICA on its website.

Those who want to verify if a call or e-mail is from the ICA can do so via its feedback form or over the phone.

The police and ICA also reminded the public that Singapore Government officials will not ask anyone to transfer or hand over money, luxury watches gold or cryptocurrency, borrow from licensed moneylenders, share banking log-in details, install mobile apps from unverified app stores, or transfer calls to the police or other government officials.

“Do not trust unsolicited communications, even if the caller appears to have your personal information,” said the statement.

They also encouraged the public to add the ScamShield app and set up security features for bank accounts and internet banking transactions, and check for signs of scam with official sources.

The public can check the legitimacy of suspicious messages, phone numbers and website links via the ScamShield app or website.

They can also use the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s SIMCardHowMany tool to verify the number of postpaid SIM cards registered under their name.

Any discrepancies should be reported to their telco and the police immediately, said the statement.