SINGAPORE: The police have alerted the public to a scam in which a caller impersonates a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer on the phone.
A member of the public had received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the CID, said the police in a news release on Saturday (Jul 6).
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe scammer then asked the man to show him the front and back of his ATM card through a video call, claiming it is part of a new regulation to update his personal details.
"As some ATM cards are known to function as debit cards, the scammer could have been trying to obtain the debit card details," said the police.
"The police would like to emphasise that the calls were not made by the police."
In a video shared by the Singapore Police Force on its Facebook page, a man is heard speaking to a suspected scammer through a mobile application.
AdvertisementAdvertisementIt shows that the call is from "C.I.D DEPARTMENT*".
During the conversation, the caller is heard repeatedly asking the man to use the application's video function to display his ATM card.
The police advise the public to take precautions if they receive unsolicited calls from unknown parties. These include:
- Ignoring the call as government agencies will not ask for personal details and money transfers through the phone;
- Hanging up and calling back to check the validity of the request if they receive a call from a suspicious number as scammers may mask their actual phone number;
- Not providing any personal details like names or passport details
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