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20 Jun 2016

Phone scam: Bogus callers now claim to be MOM officials

Members of the public alerted the ministry that they had received the suspicious calls, which asked them to transfer money to an account to resolve issues related to their stay in Singapore or work pass application.

SINGAPORE: The tactics of phone scammers continue to evolve, with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) the latest Government body to issue a warning about suspicious calls from a person claiming to be an MOM or Government officer.

The warning comes after members of the public alerted the ministry that they had received the suspicious calls, which asked them to transfer money to an account to resolve issues related to their stay in Singapore or work pass application, MOM said.

The phone number displayed on the receiver's number is that of the MOM Contact Centre hotline, 64385122.

MOM said: "This is a scam. Our officers will not make such calls to request for fund transfers. We have advised the affected individuals to lodge police reports."

The ministry also called for members of the public who receive such calls to be vigilant.

"MOM will not ask you to make a payment through a telephone call, especially to a third party’s bank account. In such situations, you should ignore the call," it said.

The ministry added that members of the public should not transfer any money to the caller, nor provide personal information like name, identification number, passport, bank account or credit card details.

Previously, the scam callers have claimed to be from the Singapore Police Force, DHL, UPS and SingPost.

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