S'pore police warns of online scam involving nudes taken during video calls, S$20,000 lost so far

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has issued an advisory about an online sexual service scam making its rounds on social media platforms such as TikTok or Instagram Threads.

So far, there have been at least six cases with losses of at least S$20,000.

Video call

In the scam, victims who take up the online sexual service offer would be asked to download a malicious application on their phones under the pretext of initiating a video call.

The application would allow the scammers to remotely access the victims' photo galleries and contact lists.

The scammers would then capture images of the victims engaging in sexual acts during a video call.

They would then extort the victim for money under the threat that they would distribute the victim's compromising images to their contacts.

Stay vigilante

"The Police would like to remind members of the public to make a police report immediately if anyone attempts to extort money from you," SPF emphasised.

SPF also encouraged the public to download the ScamShield application to block scam calls and messages, and add anti-virus applications on their phones.

For those who suspect that their phone has been infected with malware, you should turn your phone to flight mode and switch off the Wi-Fi before running an anti-virus scan.

Afterwards, you should check for unauthorised transactions in your bank and CPF accounts.

If any are found, they should be reported to the relevant authorities, the bank and the police.

In such cases, you should not factory reset your phone before reporting the incident to the police.

Top image via Canva