PUBLISHED ONMarch 26, 2026 12:45 PMBYSean LerA 58-year-old woman is assisting police with investigations in a case of alleged government official impersonation scam.
In a press release on Thursday (March 26) evening, the police said a 71-year-old victim received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from telco M1.
The unknown person informed the female victim that her identity was being misused to subscribe to an iPhone package and that she was required to pay $800 to $1,000, or she could choose to cancel the subscription.
When the victim requested to cancel, she was directed to another person who claimed to be an officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) who would assist her with the matter.
She was then contacted by various individuals claiming to be from MAS, and was instructed to hand over her automated teller machine (ATM) card and personal identification number (PIN).
Believing that she was assisting with police investigations, the victim also shared the one-time passwords (OTPs) she received on her mobile phone with the scammer before realising that she had been scammed.
After the 71-year-old woman lodged a police report, officers from the Anti-Scam Command conducted extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations to identify the 58-year-old woman.
During their investigations, officers recovered an assortment of valuables and established that they belonged to another elderly victim — a 69-year-old woman — who had fallen prey to similar scam tactics.
They managed to convince the second victim the same day that she had fallen prey to scammers and prevented her from losing approximately $50,000.
Earlier this week, on March 24, police arrested a 27-year-old Malaysian man, the ninth Malaysian to be arrested for similar cases this month.
The 29-year-old male victim in that case also received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from M1.
Police said they have observed that victims of such government official impersonation scams may be asked to hand over their valuables, and banks cards along with PINs, to a "courier" or "investigation officer" who would usually arrange to meet in person.
If victims do so, they would find funds in their bank accounts being depleted.
Some victims who share their OTPs would end up allowing scammers to gain "unfettered access" to their bank accounts.
They may even be instructed to open new bank accounts or perform various "assignments" for the scammers which they believe are for legitimate purposes.
Police issued a stern warning to would-be perpetrators that anyone involved in scams will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
They also reminded members of the public that government officials will never ask anyone to transfer money over the phone, request banking details, transfer a call to the police, or instruct anyone to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores.
Those who are in doubt may call the 24/76 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
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