Scam alert
Public advisory on misuse of SnapSAFE by scammers impersonating local bank staff.
MOM has been alerted to cases of members of the public receiving unsolicited phone calls from scammers impersonating local bank staff. The scammers would inform their victims that their bank accounts have been “deactivated”, “suspended” or “frozen” by MOM.
To support this claim, the scammers would misuse the SnapSAFE application to send a One-Time Password (OTP) via SMS to the victim’s phone. The SMS would appear to be sent by “MOM”. The victims were then deceived into sharing with the scammers their personal details, bank details and respective banks’ OTP.
MOM does not deactivate, suspend or freeze bank accounts. The SnapSAFE application is developed solely for members of the public to report workplace safety and health issues to MOM. OTPs triggered by the SnapSAFE applications are for log in purposes only.
To avoid falling victim to such scams, members of public who receive such calls should adopt the following measures:
- Be vigilant. MOM will not ask you to make a payment through a telephone call, especially to a third party’s bank account.
- Do not transfer any money to the caller, either via remittance services, bank transfers or any other means.
- Do not provide the caller with your personal information like name, identification number, passport, bank account or credit card details, and OTP.
MOM takes such incidents seriously. We have been working closely with the Singapore Police Force on investigations and will continue to do so to prevent further cases.
If you have information related to such incidents, please report to the police:
For scam-related advice, you can call the National Crime Prevention Council’s anti-scam helpline at 1800 722 6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg.