The Judiciary Police (PJ) warned the public in a statement yesterday about a phishing SMS sent out by scammers with a link to a fake Social Security Fund (FSS) website where would-be victims will be asked for credit card details to “verify their personal information online”.
The statement noted that the Judiciary Police have recently received reports that scammers have been sending out phishing SMSs that claim to be from the FSS.
The fraudulent short message service (SMS) claims that recipients need to upload their personal information for a review by clicking an enclosed link, or else their FSS accounts would be cancelled, the statement said.
The link redirects recipients to a phishing website that closely resembles the actual FSS website and prompts users to enter their personal information such as their names and ID numbers, according to the statement. They are then required to provide credit card details including their card number, expiration date, cardholder’s name, and security code, for purported “identity verification”.
The statement underlined that to avoid data theft, the Judiciary Police Anti-Fraud and Coordination Centre is warning members of the public to be wary when receiving such messages and not to click any links, nor to enter their account or credit card information.
The fund said in a separate statement yesterday that it has never issued any SMSs to “verify” residents’ identity online, urging residents not to believe the messages or click on the links. The fund also stressed in the statement that it does not send SMSs with links attached.
The statement pointed out that if there are doubts about the authenticity of an SMS, one can call the actual institutions to verify it, while those suspecting they have been scammed should immediately call the Judiciary Police’s Anti-Fraud hotline on 8800 7777 or the crime report hotline on 993.
This poster provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday warns members of the public of the fake FSS phishing SMS.
