The Judiciary Police (PJ) announced in a statement on Friday that members of the public had informed them of receiving fraudulent calls from “an alleged customer service staff of a mobile phone messaging software”.
The statement pointed out that the caller spoke Putonghua claimed that the user’s mobile phone account was involved in spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and that the case would be transferred to an officer from mainland China’s police.
The caller also told the user that his or her bank account “would be frozen as they were involved in a financial crime”, and also that a prosecutor had issued an arrest warrant, but that the user could be granted bail pending trial if a certain amount of money was transferred to a designated “security account”, the statement noted.
After suspecting fraud, users hung up immediately and reported the call to the Judiciary Police. The statement pointed out that the public should be wary of identity theft and fraud, underlining that the authorities and police “will never investigate a case over the phone” and that a “security account” does not exist.
Callers who receive such a call should hang up immediately, the statement emphasised.
Moreover, in order to prevent becoming a fraud victim, the statement urged the public to not reveal personal information to anyone in unsolicited phone calls; to confirm the caller’s identity through reliable means; be mindful that caller IDs can be forged through computer software to pretend that the caller is from a particular organisation; hang up if a stranger asks to send a remittance or wire money; share crime prevention tips with family and friends; and if a scam or other crimes are suspected, one should right away phone the Judiciary Police’s Anti-scam hotline on 8800 7777 or crime report on 993.
This image provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) on Friday warns the public to be wary of phone scams.
