SINGAPORE – A new variant of phishing scams, involving fraudulent Budget 2024 infographics, is making its rounds online, said the police in an advisory on April 23.
In this scam variant, potential victims would receive a Telegram message containing an infographic on Budget 2024 supposedly from the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
The infographic – accompanied by a link – would then direct victims to verify their eligibility for government cash disbursements on the website.
Those who click on the link would be directed to another fraudulent website requesting victims’ names and Telegram accounts’ contact numbers to verify their so-called eligibility for government assistance.
Victims who fill in their information and click on the verify button may receive notifications from Telegram that a new device has attempted to log in to their accounts. But it would be too late as they would have revealed their information by then.
The fraudulent infographic would also be forwarded to other Telegram users in the victims’ contact list, and they would be added to unknown Telegram group chats related to purported investment opportunities.
The police warned that the MOF will only disseminate information through its official channels.
The public should also note that any SMS notification sent by the MOF will only inform citizens of their benefits. MOF will also not ask the public to reply to any SMS, click on any links or provide any information.
[[nid:675009]]
An annual report released by the police on Feb 18 noted that 7,097 phishing scam cases were reported in 2022, and 5,938 in 2023.
Victims lost a total of $16.5 million to such scams in 2022, and $14.2 million in 2023, said the police.
Phishing scams are one of the top 10 types of scams in Singapore.
The police advised the public to take precautionary measures.
They can apply the ACT acronym, which outlines these steps to take: Add security features, Check for signs of a scam, and Tell the authorities and others about scams.
For more information on scams, they can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline at 1800-722-6688.
ALSO READ: Fighting SIM card fraud - New bill targets irresponsible subscribers, middlemen and errant retailers
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
