Singapore police have received several reports from the residents complaining that they received SMS messages claiming that their friends and family members had been kidnapped and demanded money via online transaction if they want them back safe and steady.
Singapore Police Force (SPF) has put out an advisory asking the residents to be vigilant from the scammers who are sending such messages. In a Facebook statement, officials shared the screenshot of one of those scam messages, which said: "I kidnap your daughter. If you want your daughter safe. Bank in $500000 to my account now. If you report police, I will rape your daughter."
At the end of this message, which was sent at around 9.02 pm on Tuesday, the sender has written "POS SAV," which means that the scammer directed the recipient of the message to transfer the money to a POSB Savings account.
On the other hand, SPF urged the residents to follow few steps as below:
- Remain calm and do not transfer any money as instructed by the SMSes.
- Contact your loved ones immediately to confirm their safety.
- Do not reply to the SMS. Block and report the number as spam.
In the same Facebook post, police stated that if any person has any information about such cases, then they can contact the concerned officers through the hotline number 1800-255-0000 or can submit that information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
Earlier in 2017, Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA) Airport Logistics Park said that many local residents have received a scam call from a number, which is similar to the general office number of ICA. The officials have asked citizens to avoid such calls, terming them scam.
In March 2018, ICA warned people about a fake website that is operating under its name. The official stated that the website, which goes by the name evisasg.mom, is phishing for visitors' visa reference numbers and passport numbers.
