From fake Govt websites to online sex scams, S’pore sees rising cybercrime
Reuters file photo
SINGAPORE — Singapore has been hit by a spate of online scams of late. Here is a look at the rapidly growing number of ways in which online users here have been cheated.
FAKE GOVERNMENT WEBSITES
• http://ica-sg.com, fake Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore website that phished for visa numbers and passport numbers
• http://wponlinemomgovsg.com, fake Ministry of Manpower website that phished for personal information and data
• http://www.singapass.sg, fake Singpass website set up to collect usernames and passwords.
PHISHING SCAMS
• Phishing email scam sent from info [at] ava.org.sg, an account faking the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority, to ask for company details using an attached form.
• Individuals received scam emails purportedly from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore prompting them to open links or attachments to review their income tax statement
• Fraudulent online survey promising S$500 voucher from NTUC FairPrice in bid to gain personal details
• Fake Singapore Airlines advisory dated April 2016 informing recipients they have been selected for a draw or have won air tickets. Scammers have been able to modify their caller ID to imitate official SIA phone numbers
• Phishing email from “HealthCare.gov” urging users to “verify health care status immediately by clicking a link.
IMPERSONATING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
• A man who tried to pass himself off as an officer from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore and emailed members of the public to make GST payments for postal items.
ONLINE BANKING SCAM
• Scammers place automated calls to OCBC customers and members of the public seeking sensitive banking information
• DBS phishing scam: Emails targeting DBS customers were sent from a fake account, DBSAdvice [at] dbs.com, containing “Transaction Advice” as the subject. The email had a zip file attachment containing malware.
CREDIT FOR SEX, INTERNET LOVE SCAMS
• Men on Tinder and WeChat have been targeted in several credit for sex scams, where they are asked to buy gift cards or online credits for sexual services. In another version of the scam, victims are asked to hand over their ATM cards and PIN before they could meet the woman
• Internet love scams mostly target women on Facebook, OKCupid and Tinder. Victims have lost a total of S$12 million.
E-COMMERCE CHEATING
• Most cases involved shoppers making multiple payments for fake online bargains. Scammers would ask for payment repeatedly on pretext that orders would be fulfilled at a later date on online market places like Carousell and Craigslist
• There are also instances of fake gift cards or virtual credit cards being peddled online.
CYBERCRIME 2016 IN NUMBERS
• Cybercrime comprising e-commerce cheating, credit-for-sex scams and Internet love scams doubled to 3,759 cases in 2015.
• Credit-for-sex scams jumped by 18 times, from 66 cases in 2014, to 1,203 cases in 2015. The number of Internet love scams rose 93 per cent
• Cybercrime drove a 4 per cent increase in total crimes in Singapore in 2015
• Victims of cybercrime were scammed of more than $16 million in 2016
• Singaporeans lost an average of US$545 (S$740) in the past year, higher than international average of US$358, according to Norton Cyber Security Insights Report.
