DPM Heng warns public about FB profiles impersonating him
Is that really Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat sending you a friend request on Facebook?
Even if you know him personally, you’d better think twice before responding.
In a Facebook post on Oct 30, Mr Heng said he had recently noticed a few fake Facebook profiles purporting to be him, warning members of the public against responding to their friend requests, following them and giving them personal information.
“This scammer went as far as to add friends as well as send friend requests to those in my network,” said Mr Heng. “Please do not be fooled by these impersonation accounts!”
Mr Heng pointed out that his official Facebook and Instagram accounts have a blue checkmark, indicating that these are verified accounts. His handle is @hengsweekeat, with no spaces or numbers.
Those who come across fake accounts can immediately report them on the platform, he added, thanking those who alerted him about such accounts.
In June, Mr Heng warned of a phishing e-mail scam that uses his name, the latest in a string of ruses at the time involving the impersonation of government officials.
Other prominent figures in Singapore have also had fake accounts impersonating them, including Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have also had their likeness used in deepfake scams, while an advertisement that uses the name and image of Leader of the Opposition and Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh has been seen online.
According to police statistics, there were 26,587 scam cases in the first half of 2024, an increase from 22,853 cases in the same period in 2023.
More than $2.7 billion has been lost to scams since 2019, with victims losing a record high of more than $385.6 million in the first half of 2024.
More information on the latest scams can be found at scamalert.sg.
Members of the public can also report scams via the ScamShield Bot on WhatsApp at go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot
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