'Do not be fooled': DPM Heng warns public about fake Facebook profiles impersonating him

Surprised to get a friend request from Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Facebook? 

Beware, it's likely not him. 

On Wednesday (Oct 30), DPM Heng took to his own social media to share about Facebook profiles impersonating him. 

Heng said that the imposter even went as far as to add friends and send friend requests to those in his network. 

"Please do not be fooled by these impersonation accounts!" he wrote, adding that his official social media pages are verified with a blue checkmark. 

His handle is @hengsweekeat, he added, "with no spaces or numbers". 

The deputy prime minister also urged his followers to be alert when coming across these fake accounts and to report them on the platform. 

In his post, he also thanked his followers who alerted him about the fake accounts. 

Back in June, DPM Heng also warned about a phishing email scam that used his name, reported The Straits Times. 

Other politicians have also had fake accounts impersonating them, including Health Minister Ong Ye Kung; Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon; Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling; and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat.

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have also had their likeness used in deepfake scams. 

Combating deepfake content

Singapore passed the Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Bill on Oct 15, introducing measures to restrict digitally manipulated content during elections. 

While delivering the second reading of the Bill in Parliament, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo played a 38-second deepfake video of herself to illustrate the harm of manipulated content. 

In a social media post on Oct 22, in which she had also shared the deepfake video, she said: "I explained that it took just one person only one hour, using free online software, to make. Imagine what scammers could do with more time and more advanced tools!"

According to police statistics, there were 26,587 scam cases in the first half of 2024, an increase from 22,853 cases in the same period in 2023.

READ ALSO: Enhanced ScamShield app now able to check, filter and block scam messages and calls

claudiatan@asiaone.com