With reported cases of scams in Singapore resulting in losses of nearly S$4 billion since 2019, the Singapore government has stepped up its hard stance on criminal law with mandatory and discretionary caning for scammers and scam enablers, respectively.
While the first half of 2025 saw a drop of 12.6% in Singapore scam cases compared to the same period last year, scam victims still lost an eye-watering S$456.4 million during this period.
The recent Cambodia-based scam syndicate, which involved 27 Singaporeans and 7 Malaysians embroiled in the web of deceit, resulted in at least 438 cases with losses totalling S$41 million.
On a positive note, statistics from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) Mid-Year Scam and Cybercrime Brief 2025 showed a 21.5% decrease in cybercrime and scam cases from 2024, with scams accounting for 87.5% of cases. With initiatives such as ScamShield playing a key role in heightening public awareness, more vigilance is still needed. Here are the top 11 most common scams to take note of and avoid at all costs. While you’re at it, learn how to report scams.
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Loan scams
Between January and June 2025, 457 cases of loan scams were reported locally, totalling losses of at least S$3 million.
In recent years, scammers have been exploiting social media and online messaging platforms to target a broader range of victims.
Scammers will dangle highly attractive interest rates to lure their victims, before asking for payment of “fees” to process the loans. If the victims change their minds, the scammers threaten to reveal the personal data they have collected using malware.
Some red flags include:
- Unsolicited loan offers in poorly worded mobile messages, such as “APPLY FAST CASH” with guaranteed approval and no credit check required. All regulated lenders are required to check borrowers’ loan information reports on the Moneylenders Credit Bureau as part of due diligence. Traditional banks will look at their Credit Bureau Singapore credit reports instead.
- Ask for your Singpass login details or OTP. Note that banks or licensed money lenders will never ask for your Singpass or OTP.
- Licensed money lenders are only allowed to advertise on approved channels, including their websites, business directories, consumer directories, or within the premises of their approved office and not via social media or messaging apps. Licensed money lenders also require an in-person signature on the loan contract.
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Fake bulk order scams
Apart from the common scam types listed, new scam types have also emerged.
The police have received a sizeable number of reports of fake bulk order scams involving impersonation of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel or teachers this year. From mid-April to the end of June, a whopping S$831,000 was lost.
How do such scams work? The scammers would place fake bulk orders for goods, including food and drinks, via WhatsApp or email, and become uncontactable when it was time to collect the orders.
In some instances, scammers will request additional items that these businesses do not carry and recommend that they get these items from another scammer acting as a “supplier”.
To convince the victims that they had made a partial payment for the bulk order, the “customer” may provide screenshots showing “proof” of a fake payment.
Victims will then be persuaded to pay the “suppliers”, only to be left hanging with fake orders that would never come.
Insurance scams
A relatively new scam that emerged in 2025, insurance scams have robbed S$21 million within the first half of the year.
Widely known as the “NTUC insurance scam call” and the “UnionPay insurance scam”, scammers impersonate officers from NTUC and UnionPay, convincing victims that they have existing insurance packages. They would then ask for personal details to “cancel” these plans and request a money transfer to verify the cancellation.
Victims were promised a refund once their insurance packages had been cancelled, which, of course, did not happen.
Scammers would also guide victims to increase the transfer limit and perform bank transfers via WhatsApp call screen sharing. Victims are instructed to transfer money from their bank accounts to scammers’ credit cards, allowing them to increase the credit limits on their cards to make large purchases of jewellery and precious metals, such as gold bars.
Malware scams
According to CNA’s Talking Point programme, all malware scams in Singapore to date involved Android phones due to their widespread adoption. The Android operating system also allows users to sideload apps outside of official stores, making them vulnerable to malware.
How it works — scammers trick victims into downloading third-party apps or clicking suspicious links to steal account information and make fraudulent transactions.
Malware scams have increased by 266.7% since 2024, with the majority of victims falling within the 50- to 64-year-old age range. Facebook and TikTok were the most common channels used to target victims, where scammers posted fake product ads to lure their victims into making purchases.
Scammers also exploit the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) function by manipulating it to access victims’ mobile devices.
Follow these ScamShield tips if you have installed a malicious app:
- Activate ‘airplane mode’ on your mobile device.
- Make sure Wi-Fi is disabled and keep it that way.
- If possible, perform a virus scan on your smartphone.
- Go to a bank branch in person or use other secure devices to review your bank account, Singpass, CPF, etc., for any unauthorised transactions.
- If you find any unauthorised transactions, notify your bank, the appropriate authorities, and file a police report online.
- Once you have completed the previous steps and are confident that your phone is free from malware, you can start using it again. If not, follow the additional safety measures listed below.
- Conduct a “factory reset” on your phone and update your important passwords.
- Uninstall any unofficial apps from the Play Store on your device.
Phishing scams
Ever encountered an email from your bank informing you of your “expired” digital token? Don’t be fooled – look closer at the email address to ensure it is really from your bank before entering your banking credentials and OTPs.
According to the SPF, phishing scams accounted for 19.2% of total scams in the first half of 2025, resulting in a loss of S$30.4 million. In April 2025, victims lost at least S$172,000 to phishing scams by scammers pretending to be POSB.
Voucher scams are also rife on Telegram, where scammers post infographics on how to redeem CDC or SG60 vouchers and include links in the messages to fake websites that resemble the original sites. Users will then be prompted to disclose personal information such as banking or credit card details.
Impersonation scams
Given our instinct to comply with the authorities, always verify the authenticity of any officials by asking for their identification documents and checking directly with the relevant government agency.
Government official impersonation scam
According to the SPF, government official impersonation scams accounted for 27.7% of all scams in the first half of 2025, with victims losing about S$126.5 million.
Scammers impersonated officials from agencies such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore, SPF, or the Ministry of Manpower, claiming issues with victims’ bank accounts and requesting personal or banking details.
Victims were often deceived by the scammers’ calm and professional tone, as well as their use of personal information to appear credible. While victims were once tricked into transferring money to “safety accounts,” scammers now also use gold scams to collect victims’ savings.
In an island-wide anti-scam operation this year, a 15-year-old was among the 24 suspects arrested when a man was tricked over S$1.1 million by scammers pretending to be MAS officers in a government official impersonation scam. Another scammer fleeced victims of jewellery and Rolex watches worth S$91,000.
Bank official impersonation scams
Scammers posing as bank staff often claim there are unauthorised login attempts or transactions in your account and send a phishing link to “secure” it.
In one Reddit case, scammers impersonated DBS staff, while another incident involved a fraudster pretending to be a DBS Account Manager to deceive victims.
Tip: never disclose your personal or banking details to anyone. Your bank would never ask for your PIN, User ID, or OTP.
Investment scams
In the first half of 2025, S$145.4 million has been lost to investment scams, making it the highest loss category among scam types.
Victims are baited with lucrative “investment opportunities” through social media platforms or recommendations from online “friends”. They may also be added to chat groups and instructed to transfer money into specific bank accounts, crypto wallets, or make payments via their bank cards.
Upon receiving initial small profits, the victims would believe that the investments were genuine, leading them to invest and transfer more money.
Only when they experienced difficulties withdrawing their earnings would they realise that they had been scammed.
Arm yourself with tips on spotting investment scams today.
Job scams
There are few, if any, jobs that require the applicant to pay anything before starting a job.
Some signs that an offer could be a job scam:
- You need to make a payment before starting the job.
- To complete your tasks, you need to use your own money.
- You are required to use your personal bank account as part of the job.
- To apply for a job, you have to disclose your Singpass credentials or scan a Singpass QR code to access your Singpass account.
Scammers typically like to offer home-based jobs, such as surveys, liking a post, leaving a review or boosting product ratings.
Victims will be asked to transfer funds to bank accounts provided by the scammers in exchange for a small commission. Scammers will continue to request a higher amount of funds to be transferred in return for higher earnings.
Victims will only realise that they’ve been scammed when they are unable to withdraw money from their bank accounts, fail to receive commission, or when the scammers are uncontactable.
Top contact methods of scammers
From the cybercrime and scams report, scammers tend to strike via these channels:
- Social media platforms
- Messaging platforms
- Phone calls
- Online shopping platforms
How to avoid being scammed
Knowledge is power to prevent yourself from falling for scams, especially when many are unable to recover their losses.
- Stay informed on scam news on the ScamShield website, download the ScamShield app, or call the anti-scam hotline at 1799 when in doubt.
- Only download apps from official sources, such as Google Play (Android) and Apple App Store (iOS).
- Pay attention to the URL in the address bar before proceeding to a website (e.g. do not click if it shows www.paypa1.com instead of www.paypal.com).
- Scammers will provoke you into reacting without thinking by using words such as “urgent action required” or “your account will be terminated”.
- Banks do not include links to their websites in their SMSs and emails.
- Banks may also reject a transfer if it’s more than half the balance.
Reminder: Government/bank/insurance officials will never ask you for money transfers, bank details, or to download mobile apps from unofficial platforms. Most won’t ask for your personal information or transfer your call to the “police” as well.
For businesses, government agencies will never ask businesses to make a payment to another business or agency’s behalf, unless it’s been agreed through a written contract. Remember, if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is!
What to do if you’ve been scammed or are unsure if something is a scam
DBS scam hotline
Contact the DBS Fraud Hotline at 1800 339 6963 (or +65 6339 6963 from overseas) to activate Safety Switch, before making a police report.
UOB scam hotline
Contact UOB’s 24/7 Fraud Hotline at 6255 0160 and describe the fraud (time and how, transactions) and activate Kill Switch. Provide the step-by-step guide provided by UOB to disable digital access and block debit/credit cards.
Lock affected debit/credit cards on the UOB TMRW app.
OCBC scam hotline
Dial 6363 3333 (or +65 6363 3333 if calling from abroad) and select option 8 to report fraudulent activity or to suspend all your accounts and cards temporarily, then file a police report.
What to do when filing a police report
Don’t be afraid to report scam incidents. When reporting a scam to the police, it’s crucial to provide as many details as possible to support the investigation.
Start by explaining the details of the scam — what happened, when, and how you were contacted. Include any supporting evidence, such as screenshots, emails, or messages from the scammers.
Mention whether you have reported the incident to other organisations, like your bank or a consumer protection agency. Include any information that could help identify the perpetrators, such as the website address used, phone numbers they contacted you from, or any payment details they requested.
Conclusion
Staying alert and cautious is the best way to protect yourself from scams. For instance, avoid engaging in scam calls if the number appears suspicious and your intuition tells you something is amiss.
Before sharing personal information or making a payment remotely, always verify the authenticity of any link, website, or advertisement — only download apps from official app stores to reduce the risk of malware or fraud. When making online payments, use a credit card where possible (as opposed to a debit card) as banks can reverse unauthorised charges, and your money won’t be immediately deducted from your account.
Staying informed and vigilant can go a long way in protecting your finances and personal data.
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