Phone Scams - Beware!!!

Phone Scams

(For students)

Emergence of Phone Scams

What is a phone scam?

A phone scam is an act by conmen who trick the victims over the telephone into sending money to them

Emergence of Phone Scams

Why phone scams are a concern

•Phone scams have increased recently and the main types are :
..Kidnap Scam
..Lucky Draw / Lottery Scam
..Impersonating Court Staff / Police Officer Scam

•As at end February 2008, close to 1000 cases were reported and more than S$5.5 million was lost to the conmen


Scam 1 -Kidnap Scam

How it works
•The conman will tell the victim that they have kidnapped his or her child
•In the background of the phone call, the victim will hear cries for help from a child
•The conman will demand a ransom to be sent to a bank account immediately


Why it is a scam
•The fact is that NO ONE has been kidnapped


Why Police is concerned
•The conmen prey on the victims’ concern for the safety of their children
•The conmen prey on families with children
•As at end February 2008, 156 kidnap scam cases were reported and more than $120,000 was lost to the conmen


If such a call is received, the victim should
•Always remain calm.
•Ask questions to confirm the identity of the ‘kidnapped’ child eg. name, age and physical features
•Find a way to call his or her child immediately eg. ask someone to call the ‘kidnapped’ child using another phone
•Never send money to the conmen
•Call the Police


Scam 2 -Lucky Draw / Lottery Scam


How Lucky Draw/ Lottery Scam works
•The victim will receive a phone call to participate in a survey / lucky draw. Later, the victim will receive another call informing that he or she has won the lucky draw.
•Or the victim will receive a phone call informing that he or she has won a lottery
•Whether it is a lucky draw or lottery, the victim will be asked to send money to a bank account
as processing fees before the victim can collect his or her winnings


It is a scam because
•It is unlikely that anyone can win a lucky draw in which he or she has not entered or a
lottery which he or she has not bought a ticket!
•A legitimate lucky draw / lottery operator will not askfor money as a condition to
claim the prize


Why Police is concerned
•The conmen prey on gullible victims who believe that they can win an unexpected big sum of money in a lucky draw / lottery
•The victims lost a lot of money to the conmen
•As at end February 2008, 441 cases were reported and more than $4.6 million was lost
to the conmen


What should the victim do when he or she receives such a call?
•Terminate the call immediately
•Never send money to the conmen
•Please do not reveal your personal information and bank account number over the phone
•Call the Police
•Remember : If the offer is too good to be true, it is probably a scam!


Scam 3 -Impersonation Scam

How Impersonation Scam works
•The victim will receive a call from the conmen who claim to be a police officer or a staff from the Supreme Court
•The conmen will claim that the victim has failed to attend a court session or settle a summons or that he or she is involved in a police case
•The victim will be asked to send money to a bank account to have the case dropped or to avoid getting arrested or fined


Why it is a scam
•The Police, Supreme Court or any government agency will neverask anyone, to send money to a bank account
•If any payment has to be made, an official written noticewill be sent


Why Police is concerned
•The conmen prey on the victims’ fear of getting into trouble
•As at end February 2008, 338cases were reported and more than $750, 000 was lost to the conmen


If such a call is received, the victim should
•Always remain calm
•Ask the caller to send an official written notice
•End the conversation as soon as possible
•Never send moneyto the caller
•Please do not reveal your personal information and bank account number over the phone
•Call the Police if he or she is suspicious of the caller


Conmen

Who they are
•They usually speak Mandarinin a foreign accent
•They make calls to anyone
•They will always askthe victim to send money to a bank account


Police Arrests
•27 persons were arrested in 2007 because they allowed their bank accounts to be used
by the conmen to receive money from victims
•The punishment for such a crime is a fine up to S$500,000 or a jail term up to 7 years or to both


Real Cases In The News..

Man jailed for allowing his bank accounts to be used by conmen

•Ong Tian Soon was paid S$150 for allowing his bank accounts to be used by the conmen.
•He was jailed for one year


Message For Sharing

What you can do as students
•Your family members may become victims of phone scams
•Every day, the conmen are calling people over the telephone to trick them into paying money
•Please share this message with your parents, other family members and friends
•Together we can prevent and stop phone scams


Action for Victims


What a victim should do
•The victim should report the case immediately to the nearest Neighborhood Police Centre, Neighborhood Police Post or call ‘999’
•If money has been sent, the victim should provide the following information to Police :
-the name of the bank
-the bank account number


Information on Phone Scams
•More information on phone scams are available on the following websites:
Singapore PoliceForce website(www.spf.gov.sg)
Commercial AffairsDepartment website(www.cad.gov.sg)
*CAD is a unit in the SPF.
It investigates commercial crime likes scams and frauds


Phone Scams


(For teachers and staff –A Highlighted Case)


Real Cases In The News..


Civil Servant loses $61,000 in lottery scam
•Caller told her that she had won $150,000 in a Hong Kong lottery and she had to send money to pay taxes and various fees
•During the hour-long phone call, the conman convinced her to transfer $5,500 to him. Over the next two months, she sent over a total of $61,000 to the conman
•She wanted to surprise her family with the windfall but is now living with the consequences of her actions