At least S$764,000 lost in September to e-commerce phishing scams in Singapore

The victims were tricked by scammers impersonating staff from e-commerce marketplaces into providing their credit or debit card details and one-time password. - ST

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Phishing scam cases involving e-mails, text messages and phone calls from scammers impersonating e-commerce marketplace staff are on the rise, the Singapore Police Force warned on Tuesday (Oct 26).

At least S$764,000 was lost in September due to non-banking-related phishing scams, the police said in a statement.

Victims of such scams would typically receive phone calls from scammers impersonating staff from e-commerce marketplaces, claiming that issues with the victims' accounts or payment discrepancies had been detected in their purchases.

Under the pretext of helping to resolve the issues, the scammers would then trick the victims into providing their credit or debit card details and one-time password (OTP).

The victims would realise they have been scammed only when they discover unauthorised transactions using their credit or debit card.

The police advised the public to take the following measures to prevent such crimes:

> Do not provide your personal information, including financial data, to unknown callers over the phone.

> Always verify the authenticity of any information with the official website or official sources.

> Never disclose your personal or Internet banking details and OTP to anyone.

> Report any fraudulent credit or debit card charges to your bank and cancel your card immediately.

Those with information related to such scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit a form online.

They can also call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688.

To receive up-to-date messages on scams, members of the public can join the "Spot the signs. Stop the crimes" campaign at this website.