SINGAPORE: Scammers claiming to be officers from the police’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) caused a woman to lose S$1.2 million (US$900,000) over the course of two months.
The ruse is a variant of the government impersonation scam.
The victim, who did not want her real name used, recounted her ordeal during an interview with the media on March 14 facilitated by the police.
She said it started with a phone call on Dec 11, 2024, from a person who identified herself as Jenny, an officer from ASC.
Jane (not her real name) was told that her identity card number was being misused, and she was urged to make a police report.
The woman, who is in her 50s and works in finance, said she was then transferred to another person who claimed over the phone that he was a police officer.
“Inspector Yang” sounded local, said Jane, who added that he sent her a one-time view image of a “police pass”.
“He showed me his pass, which disappeared after I clicked on it.
“I was suspicious and thought he might not be a real police officer. But when I questioned him, he got angry and said: ‘I have the right to suspect you.’”
The man told Jane that her identity card number was used to open a bank account, which then received money laundering funds.
He accused Jane of receiving a ten per cent commission from the ill-gotten funds.
The man told Jane that she had to surrender her bank statements and update him on her whereabouts up to four times a day via WhatsApp.
He warned her not to tell anyone and claimed the case was confidential – a common tactic used by fraudsters to isolate victims from their loved ones.
Jane wanted to show she was cooperative and did everything he told her.
On Dec 13, she received a letter purportedly from the police saying she will be charged with laundering the proceeds of criminal activities.
The letter also said she would be detained for 60 days if she did not comply with their instructions.
However, the letter was, in fact, from the scammers.
Jane said that she was unwell at the time, and did not verify the authenticity of the letter.
The man called Jane over WhatsApp on Dec 14 and said he had to transfer the call to his supervisor, “Inspector Chong”.
This other scammer told her to withdraw S$500,000 (US$375,665) from her bank account.
They knew how much money she had because she had given them her bank statements over WhatsApp earlier, as instructed.
“Inspector Chong” told her to open a bank account with a Chinese bank and use it to transfer money to various bank accounts.
He claimed the money would be used as bait so they could round up the other suspects in her case.
“They wanted me to help with investigations by transferring money to these people, so they could catch them,” said Jane.
“I was very sick and I was overloaded with work, so I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I just wanted to give them whatever they wanted so they could close the case,” she said, adding that she was also dealing with the death of her father.
Between Dec 18 and 19, Jane made nine bank transfers to various payees who had accounts with the Chinese bank. She transferred a total of $180,000 (US$135,239).
Jane said “Inspector Chong” told her that ASC would call her.
“I was told, if ASC asked if I was being scammed, I was to tell them I knew what I was doing, and I was helping the police,” she said.
Just two days after she opened the bank account, Jane said the Chinese bank suspended her account over what they said were suspicious transfers.
She then received a call from “Inspector Chong” on Dec 20, who told her to close the account and withdraw the remaining $320,000 (US$240,425).
The money was to be passed to an “investigation team”, he said.
She withdrew the full sum in $100 (US$75) notes, then met up with an “officer” and handed him the cash at a public space in central Singapore.
Jane said that “Inspector Chong” was on the phone with her and helped her identify the “officer”.
She described the man as Chinese with a local accent. He looked to be in his 30s.
Jane eventually met the same man and another individual a total of four times, passing them varying sums of cash she withdrew from her bank account.
Her last meeting with one of them was on Jan 3, 2025.
In total, she handed over her life savings to the scammers – money which she intended to use for her new home and retirement.
Jane said she tried to get her money back many times, but the scammers claimed the case was before the High Court, so she had to wait.
She realised she had been duped after the scammers stopped responding to her on Jan 24.
As she was still recovering from her illness, she made a police report at the Pasir Ris Neighbourhood Police Centre only on Feb 6.
Reflecting on the incident, Jane said: “I’ve learnt to let go; I just see it as charity, and I assume that whoever took my money needed it more than I did.
“When people ask me about it, I still feel down, but being busy with work helps me to avoid thinking about it.”
Her three sons have been supporting her emotionally, she said.
“One of them told me, ‘No matter what happens, you still have us. Money can be earned again.’ They said they would chip in to pay for the new home as well.”
Jane has since reopened her bank accounts, with her sons’ help.
She said she has learnt not to be intimidated.
“Don’t let scammers control your emotions. Because once they’ve manipulated you, they can easily attack.”
In 2024, there were 1,504 reported cases of government official impersonation scams, with losses amounting to at least $151.3 million (US$113.68 million).
Most victims who fell for this variant of scams were aged 50 to 64, and they were contacted mostly via phone and WhatsApp.
The Singapore Police Force had in November 2024 warned that scammers were calling victims and posing as officers from ASC or ScamShield.
In some cases, the scammers claimed that the victims’ phone numbers were used for illegal activities linked to investment scams.
ScamShield is in fact an app that helps to identify and alert users to potential scam threats on messaging platforms. Its website includes advisories on the latest scam trends.
The police said that they will never ask for personal details over the phone or messaging platforms such as WhatsApp. - The Straits Times/ANN
