You will be able to name the stages of a fake official scam, from the first call to the request for money.
Siew Ling is a 32-year-old accountant (an invented example). She gets a recorded call that says it is from her telco and ends up on a video call with a man who wants her to move S$40,000 of her savings.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) calls this a government official impersonation scam. It follows a script with three stages. If you know the stages, you can usually tell which one you are in within a minute or two, before any money moves.
The call might start like this. A recorded voice says it is your telco, says a mobile number registered in your name has been used in a crime, and tells you to press 1 to speak to a staff member. You press 1 out of curiosity. Twenty minutes later, someone who says he is a police inspector tells you your name is linked to a money laundering case. He also says you must not tell anyone while the investigation is open.
The first caller rarely says they are police. SPF advisories describe a first caller who claims to be staff from a bank or a telecommunications provider. Their story is about something you can't easily check on the spot: a bank card used for suspicious transactions, or a phone number registered in your name and used in a crime. They want to make you anxious and keep you talking.
You may then be told you will be "transferred to the police", or that an officer will call you back. Real organisations pass calls along in this way, so the handover feels official, and each one makes the story seem more solid.
The next person says they are from the police, MAS or another agency, and this person does most of the work. They may give a name, a rank and a case number. Some move to a video call and appear in what looks like a uniform, with an office behind them. Some send a document that looks like an arrest warrant or court order, with crests and stamps on it.
Then comes the accusation: your bank account has been used for money laundering, or your identity is linked to a crime. You may be threatened with arrest unless you cooperate. Most people have never dealt with a criminal investigation and don't know what a real one looks like, so the scammer gives them a version that sounds procedural and is frightening.
The request follows, presented as a way to "prove your innocence" or "help with the investigation". You may be asked to:
move money to a "safe account" give your internet banking username, password and one-time password (OTP) install an app so the "officer" can monitor your account withdraw cash or buy gold and hand it over
A safe account is an account the scammer controls. They describe it as a government or police account that will hold your funds while they are checked. No such government account exists.
In Siew Ling's case, the "police officer" on the video call showed her a document with her name and NRIC number on it. He could have got both from a data leak, so a caller who knows your personal details has proved nothing about who they are. He said her bank account was being used to launder money and asked her to transfer S$40,000 of her savings to a safe account while the case was investigated.
Singapore government officials will never ask you, over a phone call, to transfer money, give out your banking login details, or install an app. This applies to the police, MAS, IRAS, CPF Board and every other agency. A real investigation involving your bank account would not be run by asking you to move your savings elsewhere over the phone. There is also no government safe account where your money is held while it is checked.
If a caller asks for any of these three things, it is a scam, however convincing their uniform, case number or warrant looks.
The last stage is designed to stop anyone from interrupting the script. You may be told the case is confidential and that telling your family counts as obstructing an investigation. You may be told that bank staff could be involved in the crime, so you shouldn't explain why you are making a large transfer. Some victims are coached on exactly what to say if the bank asks questions.
Scammers often keep victims on the phone for hours, or ask them to keep a video call open while they go to the bank. Some victims are told to check in by message every few hours, over several days. All of this keeps the victim away from anyone who might say it doesn't sound right.
A request for secrecy is the strongest signal of all. A real officer has no reason to stop you talking to your spouse or your bank. Siew Ling's caller told her not to tell her husband because he was "also under investigation". If a caller says you can't tell your family, treat the call as a scam from that point on.
Siew Ling was halfway through logging in to her banking app when she remembered that officials never ask for transfers over the phone. She hung up and called her husband.
When the call comes, hang up. You don't need to argue with the caller or prove they are fake.
Then check the claim yourself through the agency's official website or contact details. Use the method in Lesson 2.3, "Verify by calling back on a number you found yourself": call a number you looked up yourself, and ignore any number the caller gives you. You can also read the scam alerts and advisories on the ScamShield and Singapore Police Force websites, which describe this scam and its current variations.
Last, write down in your own words the three things a real officer would never ask you for. Keep each one short enough to recall when someone on the phone is telling you you're about to be arrested.
In your own words, write down three things a real officer would never say, and put the list where you will see it.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).