More than $500,000 lost to vehicle-related scams since December 2022
At least 317 victims have lost about $557,000 since December 2022 to phishing scams involving unpaid vehicle-related bills or fines, the police said on Tuesday.
Fraudsters would send text messages purportedly from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to victims to notify them of unpaid bills or fines, the police said.
The victims would then click on the URL link embedded in the messages to view information about the alleged bills or fines.
They would be directed to fraudulent websites, where they would be required to provide their credit/debit card details and One Time Passwords (OTPs).
The police said: “Victims realised that they had been scammed only after discovering unauthorised transactions made to their credit or debit cards.”
The police added that LTA does not notify road users of unpaid bills or fines via text messages or request for payments for offence notices, vehicle registration, and licensing matters via URL links embedded in text messages.
Instead, members of the public will be asked to check their outstanding fines and vehicle-related payments on the OneMotoring website.
The payments must then be done separately on LTA’s e-payment services, Internet banking or at AXS or SAM stations.
The police reminded the public to not click on URL links provided in these unsolicited text messages and to always verify the authenticity of the information with the official sources or website.
The public should also never disclose their personal or Internet banking details and OTP to anyone, the police said.
The police advised the public to report any fraudulent bank transactions and cancel their card immediately.
Those who have information relating to such scams can call 1800-255-000 or go to www.police.gov.sg/iwitness to submit a report.
For scam-related advice, the public can call 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg
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