Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

The Singapore Police Force issued an advisory on May 16, 2023, to warn members of the public about a new elaborate phishing scam variant involving the downloading of a fake ScamShield App.

Targets victims who buy food items on social media

In this latest scam, scammers target victims who respond to advertisements on social media, such as Facebook, for the sale of food items.

After the scammers ask victims to contact them via WhatsApp, they would send them a link to download a shopping app they claim was needed for the purchase.

Victims would then find unauthorised transactions on their bank accounts or credit cards.

Scammers pose as bank staff

Shortly after making these unauthorised transactions, the scammers would pose as bank staff to "follow up" on these transactions.

The scammers would then recommend the unsuspecting victims download the fake ScamShield App, which fraudulently bears the ScamShield logo, through a download link to ask them to "safeguard" themselves against scams.

The scammers would further ask victims not to download the real ScamShield App from the official Google Play Store.

While the advisory did not reveal what scammers intend to achieve with the fake ScamShield App, the police reminded members of the public of the dangers of downloading apps from third-party or dubious sites.

Installing apps from illegitimate sources runs the risk of malware being installed on victims' mobile and computer devices.

Where to download the real ScamShield App

To learn more about downloading the actual ScamShield App on your Android devices, please refer to the official guide here.

If you have any information relating to such crimes or are in doubt, please call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit a report online here.

All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent police assistance, please dial "999".

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688.

To learn more about malware and the preventive steps users can take to protect their devices, please refer to CSA's SingCERT advisory here.

Top image via Mothership/Travis Loh & Singapore Police Force