Here’s how to spot and avoid Singapore’s worst online scams
More and more people in Singapore are becoming victims of online scams. The number of people falling prey to online the 10 worst online scams between went up by a massive 156% from 806 cases in 2013 to 2064 last year, according to the police. The money lost by the victims went up by over 40% from $9.6 million in 2013 to about $13.6 million last year.
Yahoo Singapore spoke to the police about the problem and got their advice on how to spot and avoid these scams. Here’s what you need to know:
The scam: Multiple Payment Online Purchase Scam
The numbers
2013 - 269 cases, $240,600 lost.
2014 - 904 cases, $735,500 lost.
How to spot
Con artists ‘sell’ electronic gadgets like smart phones and tablets.
Goods never arrive, but victims are asked for further payments, due to 'mixed delivery orders'.
The payments are quickly transferred out of local banks to overseas accounts. Victims never see their money again.
How to avoid
Do business with those you know and trust.
Be sure you know who the company or person is and where they are physically located.
Understand the offer. Look at the information about the goods carefully and ask for more information when required.
Never give your bank account numbers, credit card numbers and personal information to anyone you do not know or have not checked out.
Check the track record of the seller. Ask the seller for their list of customers.
The scam: The Internet Love Scam
The numbers
2013 - 81 cases, $5.8 million lost.
2014 - 197 cases, $8.8 million lost.
How to spot
Scammers claim to be foreigners and target victims searching for love or friendship on dating or social networking sites.
After befriending the victims and gaining their trust, scammers ask for monetary help for various reasons.
Scammers may also ask victims to set up local bank accounts or request access to victims’ accounts, which they then use to receive illegal proceeds obtained from other crimes.
How to avoid
Do not remit or transfer money to people whom you do not know well enough.
Do not accede to requests that may put you in a vulnerable position, such as performing compromising acts in front of the webcam.
If someone claims to be in some kind of trouble overseas and needs you to urgently send money over, don’t! Contact the police.
Do not allow your personal bank accounts to be used by other persons for financial transaction purposes.
The scam: Cyber Extortion
The numbers
2013 - 108 cases, $56,000 lost.
2014 - 257 cases, 145,000 lost.
How to spot
Female con artists have cyber-sex session on webcam.
The process is recorded and victims are blackmailed.
How to avoid
Be careful when befriending people online.
Don’t remit or transfer money to people whom you do not know well enough.
Don’t agree to any request that may put you in a vulnerable position, such as performing compromising acts in front of the webcam, or giving personal details about yourself.
Inform the Police immediately if anyone attempts to extort money from you.
The scam: Phony PayPal Email Scheme
The numbers
2013 - 9 cases, $10,000 lost.
2014 - 122 cases, $116,800 lost.
How to spot
Scammers place orders with online sellers and select ‘PayPal’ as the payment option.
They then send fictitious emails in the name of ‘PayPal’, saying payment has been made to get the victims to send the items ordered to overseas addresses.
The scammers also send emails from ‘PayPal’ to victims to ask for account activation fees to be made to local bank accounts to be remitted overseas.
There are variations where emails from reputable banks such as ‘Citibank’ is used instead of ‘PayPal’.
How to avoid
Always log-in to your PayPal account to verify payment status before sending merchandise.
Do not follow links in email when you log in. Instead, open a new browser and navigate to Paypal.com to log in.
Never provide your personal details via email.
The scam: Kidnap Hoax Phone Scam
The numbers
2013 - 13 cases, $81,400 lost.
2014 - 40 cases, $113,700 lost.
How to spot
Scammers claim victim’s child has been kidnapped and demand ransom.
Ruse made believable by cries for help from the background. Victims not allowed to speak to those supposedly kidnapped.
Recently, victims asked to transfer cash to local accounts via ATM.
How to avoid
Call ‘999’ immediately when you receive such calls.
Keep calm and contact your loved one to confirm his or her safety.
Do not remit any money.
The scam: Impersonation of LINE App Use
The numbers
2014 - 89 cases, $41,900 lost.
How to spot
This is a new type of scam where culprits would ask their victims to purchase gift cards or virtual credits.
Scammers gain access to a person’s messaging app (e.g. LINE) and impersonate the account holder.
They send requests to friends or family to purchase gift cards and send photos of redemption codes to them.
Scammers redeem the gift cards’ value before the scam is discovered.
How to avoid
Don’t agree to any request to make purchases before checking on its authenticity.
Speak to the account holder directly when you get such requests.
Be careful when communicating on mobile messaging platforms.
When deactivating such apps, do through the app settings and not just be uninstalling the app.
Use individualised passwords of more than eight alphanumeric characters. Change your passwords regularly and don’t disclose your identification details.
Keep your anti-virus software updated.
The scam: Credits-for-Sex
The numbers
2014 - 60 cases, $14,700 lost.
2015 (Jan to Mar) - 249 cases, $58,800 lost.
How to spot
Scammers usually befriend victims through social media platforms and communicate via online messages and phone calls.
Scammers convince male victims to buy a gift card (Alipay Purchase Cards, iTunes) in exchange for a date or sexual favours.
They typically insist victims buy the cards through AXS machines or convenience stores and send the credits directly to the scammers’ email accounts.
How to avoid
Be wary of strangers who befriend you online.
Don’t give out personal details to other internet users.
Don’t share your payment receipts, emails or purchase cards which have details like PIN numbers that can be used to redeem online credits.
The scam: Lottery Scam
The numbers
2013 - 213 cases, $3.3 million lost.
2014 - 304 cases, $3.4 million lost.
How to spot
Victims get SMSes or calls telling them they’ve won a lottery or lucky draw. In some cases, the prizes are cars or overseas condominiums.
They are told to make an upfront payment for ‘taxes’ or ‘administrative fees’, usually to a foreign bank account.
A variation of this is when victims are called and asked to participate in a survey to win a lucky draw. A second call is made to tell them they’ve won, and theyare asked to pay upfront to claim their winnings.
How to avoid
Don’t make any payments to claim prizes.
Ignore such notifications, especially if you haven’t bought lottery tickets or participated in lucky draws.
Report such matters to the police immediately.
The scam: Impersonation Scam
The numbers
2013 - 74 cases, $114,300 lost.
2014 - 46 cases, $78,800 lost.
How to spot
Scammers pretend to be government officers, call victims and display fake numbers purportedly from government agencies.
Victims are asked for money transfers or credit card details to resolve immigration or criminal issues concerning them or their family members.
How to avoid
Government agencies don’t call the public and ask for money transfers or credit card details.
Ignore such calls and don’t transfer any money or provide credit card details.
The scam:Home/Room Rental Scam
The numbers
2013 - 39 cases, $62,000 lost.
2014 - 45 cases, $137,000 lost.
How to spot
Scammers rent out a housing unit (or part of one) to a number of victims concurrently and collect deposits/advances from all of them.
In some cases, scammers don’t have the authority to rent, or the unit doesn’t exist at all.
Scammers use high-pressure techniques to hurry the victims into paying for the units.
How to avoid
Visit the unit to confirm its existence. Look out for signs of multiple subletting.
Ensure you’re dealing with the rightful owner of the unit. Request for original documents and check information provided against these documents.
When possible, meet the owner of the unit.
If you’re using a real estate agent, check the Public Register of Estate Agents and Salespersons through the Council for Estate Agents (CEA) website.
Don’t pay deposits and rent to the salesperson. Pay the owner directly via cheques, and only when the tenancy agreement has been signed.
