New S’pore WhatsApp scam: search for bank transfers for donations in India – Mothership.SG
In May. 7, Singapore Police (SPF) alerted the public to fraudsters using compromised WhatsApp accounts to solicit donations for the alleged purchase of oxygen concentrators to be sent to India.
Compromised WhatsApp accounts belong to the victim’s family and friends, which are used to trick victims into sending money to unknown bank accounts.
Situation in India
India’s medical supplies are running out due to an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.
In response, several countries, including Singapore, Australia, Germany and Canada, sent humanitarian aid to support India’s fight against the pandemic.
Fraudsters attack the generosity of victims
SPF provided screenshots of the WhatsApp conversations between the victim and the scammer.
The crooks sent detailed messages about the source of the machines and how long it took to ship them.
They also provided a bank account number for money transfers, claiming it belonged to a provider.
Screenshot of WhatsApp chats between scammer and victim. Image via SPF.
The crooks would say they had exhausted their credit cards to the max and asked the victims to help with the money left for the donation, promising to pay them back.
This made the matter urgent and imperative that victims respond quickly to their request.
Screenshot of WhatsApp chats between scammer and victim. Image via SPF.
The fraudsters also took advantage of the generosity of the victim.
One victim involved even praised the scammer for the charitable gesture in helping Indians in need during this difficult time.
According to the screenshots, the crooks deceived the victims by saying, “People die before they even get medical treatment. It’s extremely disheartening.”
The victims realized they had been scammed
The victims only realized that they had been scammed when the WhatsApp contact became unreachable after the transaction.
The victims also realized that they had been scammed after their friends informed them that their WhatsApp account had been hacked.
Police notice
SPF advises the following crime prevention measures to prevent online scams:
- Beware of unusual requests received on WhatsApp, even if they were sent by your WhatsApp contacts
- Check if the request is legitimate by checking with your family and friends offline
- Never send money to people you don’t know or have not met in person before
- Immediately report any unauthorized transaction made to your bank account
Top image via SPF.
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