1,098 people in SG lose at least S$4.5mil to scammers pretending to be friends

Singapore police said there has been a persistent trend of scammers pretending to be victims' friends while asking for financial assistance. — KUA CHEE SIONG/The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE: At least 1,098 people have fallen prey since January to scams involving fraudsters pretending to be the victims' friends, with total losses of around S$4.5mil (RM14.44mil).

In a statement on Monday (Aug 29), the police said there has been a persistent trend of scammers contacting victims through phone calls, pretending to be their friends while asking for financial assistance.