A 63-year-old woman lost almost S$4,000 in September after answering a Facebook ad that appeared to come from Precious Active Ageing Centre (PAAC), Mothership reported on 10 October. This fake active ageing centre scam uses the same lure the Singapore Police Force (SPF) warned about on 18 June 2026: ads for senior activities on Facebook or TikTok, a WhatsApp chat, then an app file to install. By then the SPF had counted at least eight cases and losses of at least S$69,000 since 1 April 2026. On 9 October, the Bishan Neighbourhood Police Centre posted its own Facebook advisory about people impersonating PAAC.
The ad promoted activities for seniors, such as talks, community events and overseas group trips. The woman left her contact details, and a WhatsApp account using the PAAC name messaged her and offered to help her register.
That account then gave her the personal contact of a man called Alan and told her to message him there. On 16 September she chatted with him for 30 minutes and gave him her personal details. Her daughter told Mothership he was friendly and kept calling her mother smart.
On 17 September he sent an APK file over WhatsApp, which he called the PAAC app, and guided her through installing it again after the first try failed. She typed in no banking details, but she did enter a one-time password (OTP) sent to her email during the steps.
On 19 September her debit card was declined at dinner and her banking password stopped working. Her bank told the family that four transfers totalling about S$4,000 had gone out that day, and that the account had been linked to a new phone number two days earlier. Her daughter said the bank's anti-scam checks blocked a fifth transfer.
The SPF's 18 June advisory describes the same opening: ads for senior activities on Facebook or TikTok, then a WhatsApp message asking the person to install an APK file, supposedly a list of activities.
Some victims then found Singpass or ScamShield removed from their phones, and one had a bank transaction limit raised without consent. In the scam the SPF described, a second caller then poses as an official from the Ministry of Law or the SPF's Anti-Scam Centre, says the phone has an illegal app, and asks for money or valuables such as gold or mobile phones to help an investigation.
The SPF says government officials will never ask you to transfer or hand over money or valuables, give out banking login details, install apps from unofficial stores, or transfer your call to the police.
These come from the SPF advisory and the details of this case.
The SPF lists these steps if you suspect a phone has malware:
If you are not sure whether something is a scam, call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799. It runs 24/7 and can connect scam victims directly to seven banks. It cannot make police reports. The ScamShield site says you can file one online through the police e-services portal.
The SPF lists CPF among the accounts to check. For the rules on taking money out of CPF, see our guide to CPF withdrawal rules.
Before anything goes wrong, the SPF's ADD advice for Android phones is to enable Google Play Protect and turn off the Install Unknown Applications or Unknown Sources setting. It also says to install the ScamShield app, set banking transaction limits, keep the phone updated, use official app stores only and never change settings for someone you cannot verify.
Buying a parent a new phone? Our guide to cheap phones in Singapore covers the options. These SPF settings are for Android models.
The SPF's TELL step means telling the authorities, family and friends. The woman's daughter told Mothership that older people may be less active on social media, so "it would be best if the younger generation can help to inform their parents/grandparents". For what genuine elderly care costs, see our guide to elderly care options and costs in Singapore.
It starts with an ad on Facebook or TikTok promoting activities for seniors, the SPF says. In this case the ad appeared to come from an active ageing centre. The woman left her contact details, and a WhatsApp account using the centre's name then contacted her, Mothership reported.
No. The ScamShield site says the 1799 helpline cannot make police reports. You can file one online through the police e-services portal, and the helpline can connect scam victims directly to seven banks.
Not straight away. The SPF says to keep the phone in flight mode and report to the police first, because a reset can hinder investigations. After reporting, factory reset it and change important passwords.
Her debit card was declined several times when she tried to buy dinner on 19 September. When her banking password failed too, the family called her bank, which told them about four transfers totalling about S$4,000.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change, so verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.
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