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The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has warned members of the public to be wary of scam callers who claim to be officers from government agencies.
Accusing recipients of breaking Covid-19 rules
According to a press release by ICA, the agency is aware that members of the public have been receiving calls from "+65 6812 5555", which is similar to ICA's SafeTravel enquiries helpline.
The scam callers would accuse the recipient of either spreading fake news related to Covid-19 or breaking Covid-19 rules.
They would also claim that a report would be made against the recipients if they do not pay a penalty.
Police report made
ICA clarified that such calls are not made by officers from ICA or any other government agencies.
"ICA does not call members of the public to request money in any form over the phone," the agency said, adding that it takes a serious view of such scam calls as it undermines public trust in ICA.
A police report has been made.
What to do when you receive such calls
ICA advised members of the public to take the following precautions when they receive such calls:
- Don’t panic
- Ignore the calls and caller’s instructions. According to ICA, no government agency will request for personal details or transfer of money over the phone or through automated voice machines.
- Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act as you may be overwhelmed by emotion and err in your judgment.
- Don’t believe
- Scammers may use caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and display a different number. Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore.
- If you receive a suspicious call from a local number, hang up, wait a while, then call the number back to check the validity of the request.
- For foreign residents receiving calls from persons claiming to be police officers or government officials from your home country, hang up the call and dial the number of your Embassy/High Commission to verify the claims of the caller.
- Don’t give
- Do not provide your personal information such as name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account or credit card details to suspicious or unknown parties.
If you wish to provide any information related to such scams, please call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online.
To seek scam-related advice, you may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to this website.
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Top image by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash.