Scam

File photo of a man looking at the computer screen. (Photo: Xabryna Kek)

• SINGAPORE: Police have received several reports of people being tricked by phishing emails since Jan 5, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in an advisory on Tuesday (Jan 17).

Victims would receive an email purportedly from their bank informing them that someone had logged into their Internet banking account. Recipients would then be prompted to verify the log-in by clicking a link in the email which would direct them to websites bearing a resemblance to their respective bank’s website.

The victims would then be asked to key in their personal details, Internet banking credentials and One-Time Password (OTP). "Subsequently, the victims would receive an SMS notifying them of fund transfers of several thousand dollars made to unknown payees," SPF said.

Police advise members of the public to be wary of such phishing emails and said that no email service providers, banks, financial institutions or companies would email their customers to reveal or verify their user account information, passwords and/or personal identification number (PIN) over the Internet.

“If users receive such emails, they ought to be careful and not respond by clicking on any URL link or opening any file attachments inside the email,” said SPF.

It said that, when in doubt, to call the relevant institution for verification. Members of the public can also look for signs that they are using a legitimate of secure website. Such sites are usually encrypted to protect the users' details and use “https:” rather than “http:” at the start of the Internet address - or they will display a closed padlock or unbroken key icon at the bottom right corner of the browser window.

Any suspicious transactions should also be immediately reported to the bank, police said.

Source: Channel News Asia