'It can happen to you': Doctor who almost lost $4m to fake government officials scam
Believing that she was speaking to real government officials, Dr L (not her real name) almost transferred her life savings to them.
PHOTO: Lianhe Zaobao
PUBLISHED ONJune 01, 2025 1:35 AMBYChristine Tan
SINGAPORE — While seeing a patient, Dr L (not her real name) received a call from someone claiming to be a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) officer working with the police.
The man told her she was in trouble with the authorities.
Following his instructions, Dr L, 36, wanted to transfer almost $4 million from her bank account to another account for “safekeeping”, in what she thought was a secret anti-money laundering operation.
But as she was communicating with the fake official in a video call, a real policewoman called her to warn her that she was talking to scammers.
Confused, Dr L struggled to discern who was lying and who was telling the truth.
In a media interview arranged by the police on May 28 at Police Cantonment Complex, Dr L said the scammers were very convincing.
The general practitioner said: “I wasn’t even second-guessing whether the person (fake cop) I was speaking to was really the police.”
Thankfully, she trusted the legitimate authorities and did not lose any money.
Sharing screen
On April 8, a man with a local accent claiming to be a bank officer called Dr L just as she started her shift at a private clinic.
She was not a client of the bank and was surprised to hear the man read the last four digits of her NRIC. He told her someone had used her identity to register a bank card.
Her call was transferred to a purported MAS officer. Through a video call, she saw that he was sitting in a meeting room with a backdrop with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and MAS logos.
He claimed she was one of about 200 people who had their identities stolen, and that she was a suspect in a nationwide money laundering investigation.
The man spoke into a walkie-talkie and referred her to his superior, a purported senior investigation officer named “Alan Tan”, who sent her an arrest warrant on WhatsApp and a photo of his MAS identification card.
“Alan Tan” said gravely: “If your identity has been stolen, what else is at risk now? Is the money in your account safe?”
Dr L, who is single, grew anxious as her parents’ life savings were in the account. She said: “To be honest, I was more worried about protecting my parents’ money.”
The scammers told her not to tell anyone as investigations were confidential. So for the next two hours, she locked her consultation room door and stayed on the line.
She added: “With a profession like mine, cooperation with the authorities is seen as a sign of good character.”
“Alan Tan” told her to transfer her money to another bank account to prevent identity thieves from accessing it.
Dr L opened the bank app on her phone and shared her screen over WhatsApp for him to guide her through the transfer process.
Believing she was setting up a bank account in her name, Dr L followed his instructions to transfer $29,999.
She later learnt from the real police that the funds were being transferred to an account belonging to an unknown merchant.
Battle for trust
Bank employees stationed at the SPF’s Anti-Scam Command flagged the transfer and quickly alerted Assistant Superintendent of Police Lynn Tan, a senior investigation officer working in the same office.
The bank blocked the transfer and ASP Tan immediately called Dr L.
Dr L was still on a video call with “Alan Tan” when ASP Tan’s call came in.
Seeing the notification on Dr L’s shared screen, “Alan Tan” told her to answer it but warned that there were scammers impersonating the police.
Hesitantly, Dr L hung up on the scammers and answered ASP Tan’s call.
ASP Tan said: “I could tell she was very confused, because she thought I was the fake police.”
PHOTO: Lianhe Zaobao
To win Dr L’s trust, ASP Tan sent her an SMS via the gov.sg account, which is accessible only to legitimate government officials.
ASP Tan asked Dr L if she had been speaking to “Alan Tan”, a name commonly used by syndicates. Other names include “Inspector Yang”, “Jason” and “Kenny”.
Finally convinced, Dr L ignored the scammers’ subsequent calls. She headed to Police Cantonment Complex to meet ASP Tan, and lodged a report. Dr L said: “The main feeling I have is gratitude, for the police working with the bank to protect us.”
The doctor was surprised at how she had fallen for a scam, as she typically ignores calls from foreign numbers, and is not into investment schemes promising quick gains.
To highly educated people who assume they would not fall for scams, Dr L said: “It can happen to you.”
In 2024, victims lost $151.3 million to government official impersonation scams, up from $92.5 million in 2023.
ASP Tan urged members of the public to always verify details of people claiming to be government officials through official channels.
She said the police would never ask anyone to open bank accounts or transfer money.
ASP Tan added: “I don’t think this (government official impersonation scams) will die down any time soon. We need people to be educated and to be aware.”
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.