The Judiciary Police (PJ) said in a statement on Friday that some members of the public have reported receiving a FaceTime video call from someone claiming to be an Apple Inc. staff member who, after telling the victim that their account had some “irregularities”, asked for their personal information.
The statement noted that some of the victims found the call to be suspicious and therefore hung up, with the call having been proven to be a hoax upon verifying with Apple.
The statement said that similar cases have occurred in nearby regions, with swindlers impersonating staff from Apple, or social media “representatives”, and then contacting victims through FaceTime. A “variety of excuses” are used to get the would-be victims’ personal information, account passwords or verification codes, and the scammer may also lure them into remitting money, the statement pointed out, according to the statement.
The PJ Anti-Fraud Coordination Centre urged members of the public to stay alert when receiving FaceTime requests from strangers and to never readily believe an unknown caller’s supposed identity, as well as not to give away their personal information or remit money.
The statement pointed out that members of the public should always verify any request with the relevant company or organisation through official channels.
For enquiries, one can call the Judiciary Police’s Anti-Fraud Enquiry hotline on 8800 7777 or the crime report hotline on 993.
This poster provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) on Friday warns members of the public of a FaceTime scam.
