Scam-proof your money

Recognise how common Singapore scams work, set up the bank and phone defences that stop them, and know exactly what to do if one gets through.

Scams in Singapore no longer look like badly spelt emails. They arrive as a call from someone claiming to be the police, a part-time job that pays you first, a friendly stranger who trades crypto, or a cheap food deal that asks you to install an app. They work because they press on fear, trust and hope at the moment you are least ready. This course shows you how each common scam works, the four pressures they all use, and the settings on your phone and bank accounts that make you a hard target. You also write a plan for the first hour after a scam, for you and your family.

What you'll be able to do

• Name urgency, authority, scarcity and secrecy in any scam message
• Verify a caller claiming to be from a bank or government agency using details you find yourself
• Screen job offers and investment offers against a written checklist, including MAS's register and Investor Alert List
• Raise a suspected romance scam with a relative using a prepared conversation plan
• Audit a phone for sideloaded apps and dangerous permissions
• Set up ScamShield, Money Lock, transfer limits and transaction alerts on your accounts
• Follow a first-hour response card that covers your bank, the police and your logins

Syllabus

Module 1: Spot the four levers every scam pulls

Learn how urgency, authority, scarcity and secrecy push people past their own judgement, and build a stop-and-check habit that works whatever the scam looks like.

• 1.1 Every scam is built from the same four levers
• 1.2 Why clever, careful people still get scammed
• 1.3 The stop-and-check rule for money, codes and apps
• 1.4 Take apart three real scam messages

Module 2: Shut down fake officials and fake bank staff

How government official and bank impersonation scams run, which signals expose them, and how to verify any caller or message through a channel you control.

• 2.1 How government official impersonation scams run
• 2.2 Fake bank messages, phishing links and spoofed numbers
• 2.3 Verify by calling back on a number you found yourself
• 2.4 Write a verification script for your household

Module 3: See through job and task scams

How job and task scams pay small sums first to win trust, the red flags in a too-easy job offer, and why lending your bank account to a job can make you a money mule.

• 3.1 How task scams pay you first to hook you
• 3.2 Red flags in a job offer that is too easy
• 3.3 When a job is really money mule recruitment
• 3.4 Screen five job ads for scam signals

Module 4: Check any investment offer before you send money

How fake investment platforms show profits you can never withdraw, how to check a firm on MAS's register and Investor Alert List, and how fake endorsements and insider groups pull you in.

• 4.1 Fake platforms show profits you can never withdraw
• 4.2 Check a firm with MAS before you invest a dollar
• 4.3 Fake celebrity ads, insider groups and trading mentors
• 4.4 Run a due diligence check on three offers

Module 5: Recognise romance and pig-butchering scams

How romance scams build trust over weeks, how pig-butchering adds a fake investment platform, and how to talk to someone you care about who may be caught in one.

• 5.1 How a romance scam builds trust over weeks
• 5.2 Pig-butchering: romance plus a fake investment
• 5.3 How to talk to someone you think is being scammed
• 5.4 Write a conversation plan for a worried family member

Module 6: Keep malware off your phone

How sideloaded apps and APK files give scammers control of a phone and its banking apps, which permissions to refuse, and how to check your own device.

• 6.1 How a sideloaded app takes over your phone
• 6.2 The permissions that should make you stop
• 6.3 iPhones, remote access apps and screen sharing
• 6.4 Audit your phone for risky apps and settings

Module 7: Set up the defences that stop money leaving

Install and use ScamShield, lock savings with Money Lock, and set the bank limits and alerts that slow a scammer down, so your accounts resist a mistake.

• 7.1 ScamShield: filter scam calls and messages
• 7.2 Money Lock: savings that cannot be moved online
• 7.3 Transfer limits, alerts and the emergency freeze
• 7.4 Set up your anti-scam settings checklist

Module 8: Act fast in the first hour after a scam

What to do in the first hour after you realise you have been scammed: freeze accounts, call the bank, report to the police and secure your logins, in the right order.

• 8.1 The first fifteen minutes: call the bank and freeze
• 8.2 Report to the police and keep the evidence
• 8.3 Secure your logins and watch for recovery scams
• 8.4 Write your first-hour scam response card

Frequently asked questions

How long does the course take?

About seven and a half hours across eight modules, including the hands-on setup. The settings module takes longest because you change real settings on your phone and bank accounts.

I have already been scammed. Should I start here?

Go straight to module 8 for the first-hour steps, and contact your bank and the police first. Come back to the rest of the course once your accounts are secure.

How is this different from AI risks: privacy, bias, deepfakes and scams?

This course covers the common scams and the bank and phone defences against them. Deepfake video and voice-clone scams are taught in depth in the AI risks course.

Is this financial or legal advice?

No. The course is education. It teaches how scams work and how to protect yourself. For your own case, speak to your bank, the police or a qualified professional.

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