SINGAPORE: A scam involving fake advertisements for senior-focused activities, water-based fitness activities and recycling initiatives is making its rounds on social media, with victims losing nearly S$1 million to this ruse since April.
At least 62 cases have been reported during this period, with total losses amounting to at least $989,000, the police said in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 20).
In these cases, victims who encountered the fake advertisements on social media platforms such as Facebook would be tricked into downloading an Android Application Package file to register for programmes or services.
After installing the application, victims would receive calls from scammers impersonating government officials or bank representatives who would claim that the victims’ devices or bank accounts had been compromised.
The victims would then be pressured by scammers into transferring money, sharing their banking details or personal information, or surrendering valuables under the guise of an “investigation”.
In some cases, scammers would make bank transactions through malware installed on the victims’ devices, the police said.
The victims would only realise they had been scammed after discovering these unauthorised transactions.
The public is advised to only install apps from official application stores and never download applications from unknown sources.
Singapore government officials will never ask you to hand over money or valuables, share banking details, install apps from unofficial app stores, or transfer your call to other government agencies, said the police.
The public should also take precautionary measures such as downloading the ScamShield app to block scam calls and filter suspicious SMSes, and checking the legitimacy of social media advertisements through official channels.
Singapore has lost more than $4 billion to scams since 2019.
A total of $410.6 million was lost to scams in the first six months of 2026, down from the $500.2 million lost during the same period in 2025.
Despite the improving situation in 2026, the police have warned that scams remain the dominant crime type in Singapore, noting that elderly victims had the highest average losses across all age groups.
Those aged 65 and above made up 14.4 per cent of scam victims, with the average amount lost per victim at $42,347, based on mid-year scam statistics from the police.
Most of these victims fell prey to government official impersonation and investment scams, the authorities said. - The Straits Times/ANN
