PUBLISHED ONMay 06, 2026 6:20 AMBYLim KeweiScammers are posing as notable persons, including royalty and celebrities, to con victims into making money transfers, the police warned on Wednesday (May 6).
In this scam variant, victims are contacted through social media or messaging applications and convinced to send money to the other party for investment purposes, or under the pretext of other reasons like joining the royal family and receiving gifts.
In some cases, victims were invited to attend a virtual meeting with the president, ministers, and other government officials, the police revealed.
The fraudsters would send victims a "Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)" for acknowledgement and also request a copy of their identification card.
The victims only realised the scam after being asked to make additional fund transfers, or when they contacted the impersonated parties to verify information.
The police urged the public to not transfer money or provide identification card details to unknown persons or persons whose identity has not been verified.
Government officials will never ask for money transfers, bank login details, or mobile app installations from unofficial app stores over emails or phone calls.
Calls will also never be transferred to the police or any other government officials.
Members of the public can safeguard against scams by using the ACT (Add, Check, Tell) framework, which involves adding the ScamShield app and setting security features.
If in doubt, call the ScamShield helpline at 1799.
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lim.kewei@asiaone.com
