PUBLISHED ONApril 25, 2026 3:11 AMBYSean LerIf you receive a call or message from individuals asking you to guess their real identity, do not provide any names and do not continue the conversation, or you may be the next victim of a fake friend scam.
This scam variant, in which scammers would later assume the identity of the person mentioned by victims, has seen a resurgence since March this year, with losses amounting to at least $311,000 in some 146 cases reported to the police.
According to the police, victims who provided the name of a known contact, would purportedly be contacted for urgent financial assistance or assistance in performing a banking transaction.
They would then be provided with a local bank account, PayNow number or QR code to transfer the money.
In some cases, victims were contacted by a second person posing as a government official from the police or the Monetary Authority of Singapore, enquiring about the funds transfer and alleging that the victims were involved in criminal activities.
Scammers may also instruct victims to make further monetary transfers for the purpose of "investigation".
Victims would only realise that they have been scammed after contacting their actual friends or acquaintances whom the scammers had impersonated.
Members of the public are advised to be wary of any persons contacting them using unknown numbers asking for urgent financial help.
They should always make further checks to verify the identity of the requestors through other sources before making any form of monetary transfer, or handing over valuables to other unknown persons.
If in doubt, members of the public should try to stay calm and proceed to tell the authorities, family members or friends about the encounter and report any fraudulent transactions to their bank immediately.
They may also call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
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