Scammers like to use our love towards our family members to cheat us of our money.

And while this scam we're about to tell you about has happened before, it seems to have returned in earnest to multiple individuals in Singapore lately.

SPF warns of new scam SMSes

In a Facebook post on Saturday, June 1, Singapore's police warned the public of individuals who send text messages claiming to have kidnapped your uh, "daughter/son", having received several reports on it recently:

It also threatens that unless its receiver pays a ransom of S$10,000, this non-gendered offspring will be murdered.

"DON'T TRY ME", it warns menacingly.

Now, apart from the odd fact that this kidnapper initially doesn't seem to know the gender of the child they have abducted, it suddenly dawns on them halfway through that it is a "her".

If this switch in gender pronouns doesn't trigger your alarm, follow these steps from the Police if you receive a message like this:

1. Don’t panic – Remain calm and do not reply to the SMS. Block and report the number as spam.
2. Don’t believe – Contact your loved one immediately to confirm their safety.
3. Don’t give – do not transfer any money as instructed by the SMSes.

You can also call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000 to provide information related to such cases or seek scam advice via the anti-scam hotline at 1800-722-6688.

S'poreans pen potential responses

And so, as mentioned above, the way this scam SMS is crafted should sufficiently deter most Singaporeans from falling for it.

Especially if comments on the SPF Facebook post are anything to go by:

Jokes aside, though, victims of this scam (and the ones who are targeted, really) are often the elderly and less-educated, or who may not understand or read English as well, so it may be a good idea to share this advisory with people you know who could potentially be vulnerable.

Here's the full post: