Intervention by the Anti-Scam Centre and partner banks prevented more than S$218,900 in losses in two scam cases. - Photo: Singapore Police Force
SINGAPORE: Two people who were targeted in separate scam schemes managed to avoid losses of more than S$218,900 after the police’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) and the victims’ banks stepped in.
ASC worked with Standard Chartered and DBS banks to stop the funds from going through in two separate joint operations in December 2024, said the police on Jan 13 (Monday).
In the first case, a 69-year-old woman was offered a dropshipping job opportunity online by a scammer.
Dropshipping is a type of retail business in which the seller accepts customer orders without keeping stock on hand.
The job required the victim to access a website to facilitate transactions.
On this platform, so-called customers would approach her to purchase goods, and she would place orders for these goods from a supposed supplier.
The victim would then make an advance payment to the “supplier” and later receive a sales commission from the “customer” when the deal was completed.
By the end of November 2024, the victim had made payments amounting to $112,000 to the bank accounts provided by the “supplier”.
The victim was also encouraged to take more orders from “customers” on the platform.
On Dec 3, 2024, however, as she attempted to withdraw $200,000 in cash at a Standard Chartered Bank branch, she was stopped by branch staff.
She was unable to produce any invoices to support her purchase of goods, and the staff noted that there were frequent cash withdrawals made from her bank account during this period and suspected that she might be involved in a scam.
The case was then raised to the bank’s fraud team, which escalated it to ASC, where officers spoke to the victim.
She realised later that she had fallen prey to a scam.
In the second case, a 56-year-old woman received a call in December 2024 from a scammer claiming to be a WeChat staff member.
The victim was lied to by the scammer that she had a WeChat insurance policy whose premium would soon be due.
To avoid having the premium automatically deducted, she would have to cancel the policy.
The victim then followed the scammer’s instructions to cancel the policy, which allegedly required an upfront payment.
She transferred more than $69,000 to a bank account provided by the scammer.
When the victim attempted another transaction of more than $18,900 on Dec 7, 2024, DBS Bank’s anti-scam team flagged it as a suspicious transaction, and the bank placed a hold on the funds. DBS also alerted the officers from ASC.
The intervention prevented further losses amounting to more than $18,900 for the victim.
The police advised the public to adopt preventive measures such as not installing software from unverified sources, and ensuring privacy when keying in personal particulars or bank login details.
They added that people should tell their friends and family about potential scams and not be pressured into acting impulsively.
The public can call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg to find out more about scams. - The Straits Times/ANN
