At least 130 people lost over $180k to parcel delivery phishing scams in two weeks , Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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At least 130 people lost over $180k to parcel delivery phishing scams in two weeks

This article is more than 12 months old

At least 130 people have lost about $182,000 after falling for phishing scams involving the delivery of parcels in the last two weeks.

The police issued an advisory on Thursday, warning the public of the re-emergence of such phishing scams during the festive season.

Victims would receive e-mails or text messages informing them that their parcels are awaiting delivery or that they have outstanding bills.

If they click on a URL link in the message to find out more, they would be redirected to fraudulent websites that request their credit or debit card details and one-time passwords (OTPs).

They would realise they had been scammed only after discovering unauthorised transactions made to their credit or debit cards.

The police advised the public not to click on URL links in unsolicited e-mails or text messages.

People should always verify the authenticity of the information with official websites or sources, even if they are expecting parcels to be delivered, and check transaction details before approving any, the police said.

Also, the public should never disclose personal or Internet banking details and OTPs to anyone.

Lastly, people should report any fraudulent credit or debit charges to their bank and cancel the card immediately, the police added.

The Straits Times reported on Aug 29 that $346.5 million was lost to all scams in the first half of this year. This is more than half of the $633.3 million lost in the whole of 2021.

Those with information on such crimes can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit it online at https://str.sg/wCCM

All information will be kept confidential.

For more information on scams, the public can visit https://str.sg/wCCQ or call the Anti-Scam Hotline on 1800-722-6688.

They can also sign up at https://str.sg/wCCA to receive messages about the latest scams and signs to look out for, and share them with family and friends.

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