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Scams - in particular online scams - has been an increasingly serious social problem in societies as people communicate more and more virtually in cyberspace and correspondingly lesser in face-to-face interaction. Take a look at the table below. Can you fathom the amount of money lost by individuals due to scams? Or rather, how much scammers have been looting from their acts of crime?
Who are these scammers?
Who are these scammers?
Many of these scams syndicate operate from outside of Singapore. They were able to use techniques such as spoofing[1] to make phone calls to your phone that can show as a local number to deceive the person who picked up the call.
That said, there are also scammers in Singapore whose target could be the elderly or the ignorant. And not forgetting those who may have fell for the scams due to monetary or sexual temptations.
It is therefore very important for all of us to always be alert and be well updated about recent trends of scams by reading the news regularly. The Singapore Police Force also proactively seeks to educate the public about scamming activities and how to recognise them. Read the following report to know more.
ANNUAL CRIME BRIEF 2020.pdfDespite being digital natives and more tech savvy, there is no evidence to suggest that the younger generation are less vulnerable to become victims of scams. On the contrary, with increased screen time and usage of social media, young persons are more exposed to potential scams online, which poses a greater challenge as often such scam operations are done anonymously and are difficult to trace.
Such online scams[2] include:
Online purchase scams through 3rd party selling platforms such as Carosell, Shopee, Lazada, etc. by non-reputable sellers.
Online credit-for-sex scams (asking to send over cash credits electronically in exchange for meet-ups, sexual favours, etc.)
Cyber extortion scams (lured into performing indecent act on camera)
Impersonation scams (caller impersonates as an official from the government, police, or corporate agencies)
Internet love scams (tricked into a romantic relationship over time and subsequently transferred money over to the 'lover' electronically)
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is (a Scam).
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is (a Scam).
How do we protect ourselves against scammers? Here are some tell-tale signs:
How do we protect ourselves against scammers? Here are some tell-tale signs:
Receive an automated voice call claiming to be from a government agency and asking you to press a number to speak to an 'official'.
Receive an SMS inviting you to sign up for attractive rewards or 'sure-win' prizes by clicking a link or calling a number.
Receive a friend request from your social account from a stranger who claims to know you or your family members and then proceed to offer you some reward for a favour or task.
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