Discover The Shocking Truth Behind Singapore’s Most Notorious Scams

From 2016 to 2020, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) saw a dramatic rise in reported scam incidents, escalating from around 5,400 cases to nearly 16,000—an increase of three times.

These figures were disclosed by Desmond Tan, Minister of State for Home Affairs, during the first-ever Scaminar! The Fight Against Scams webinar was held on August 25, 2021.

In the year 2020, scams represented 42% of all reported crimes in Singapore, resulting in estimated financial losses of about S$265 million.

In light of the growing prevalence of scams in Singapore over recent years, we invited our readers to share their most outrageous scam experiences—ranging from personal encounters with fraud to near-miss situations.

Link Scams
A frequent concern among readers was the danger of clicking on links that led to malware downloads or requests for codes that resulted in financial loss.

“I received an email from ‘SingPost’ regarding my parcel delivery status. It looked completely legitimate, but the link installed malware.”

“I got an email from ‘DBS Bank’ saying I had successfully transferred money. At the bottom was a prompt saying, ‘if aauthorised log into Digibank via this link.’ The login page looked very convincing. I nearly entered my credentials but opted to use the app instead. After logging in through the app, I discovered that no transfer had taken place. It was a clever scam.”

“When I was in Primary 5, my friend, who had clearly been hacked, asked for my number. I foolishly gave it to him. He then sent me codes to relay back to him, and I complied. Later, I found out I had been scammed out of S$200 when my phone bill arrived.”

E-commerce Scams
Other readers recounted experiences of paying for online items that were either never delivered or not as described.

“I bought several pieces of clothing at S$0.50 each during a sale, but the next day the website had vanished.”

“Someone scammed me out of S$600 for a pet in an online game that was promised but never provided.”

“My friend’s mother ordered a gaming chair online for S$50 but instead received a pack of tissues.”

Romantic Scams
In Singapore, love scams are prevalent. Several readers recounted experiences where relatives were tricked out of their money or how they narrowly avoided becoming victims themselves.

“In 2019, my uncle shared with me that he received a message from an attractive woman on Facebook Messenger. Believing it was harmless to converse with someone he didn’t know, he engaged in chat with her for about two to three months. Out of the blue, this ‘attractive woman’ claimed she wanted to visit Singapore and asked my uncle for a loan of S$1,500 to cover travel expenses. Although my uncle intended to lend her S$900, he ultimately succumbed to her persuasion and gave her the full S$1,500. He placed the money in an envelope and handed it to a man who promised to deliver it to the ‘woman.’ Afterwards, uncertainty crept in, so he confided in a friend. Upon checking, his friend discovered that the supposed ‘woman’ was actually a man using filters to appear female. His friend suggested filing a police report, but my uncle refused to believe it, thinking his friend was merely envious of his connection with the ‘woman.’ A few days later, he came to terms with the fact that he had been scammed and sought to report it, but by then, the ‘woman’s’ account had been deactivated. Hesitant to report without evidence, my uncle ultimately lost S$1,500.”

For as long as I can remember, I’ve yearned for a pen pal. In mid-July, a Chinese-Canadian man started following me on Instagram and sent me a direct message. He perfectly embodied the idea of ‘高富帅’ (tall, rich, and handsome), and we engaged in conversation for about three weeks. At first, I believed he could become a good friend and was thrilled at the prospect of finally having a pen pal, something I had dreamed of since childhood. He showered me with compliments, saying things like, “我喜欢会弹钢琴的女孩” (“I admire girls who play the piano”), “你照顾猫儿啊，真有爱心” (“You care for cats; that’s so kind”), since I volunteer at a cat shelter, and “你很漂亮，很可爱” (“You’re beautiful and adorable”). Then, out of nowhere, he expressed a romantic interest in me and urged me to invest in Bitcoin, asking for a thousand dollars. When I declined his request, he unfollowed me on Instagram and suggested we cease communication on WhatsApp. What a jerk.

Finance Scams
Responses we’ve gathered indicate that finance scams are rife, with some victims losing thousands of dollars.

“One friend got scammed for US$50,000 after signing up for a fraudulent crypto trading platform.”

“My family business was swindled out of S$3,000 by someone from the United States.”

“I received a phone call once claiming I’d won S$50,000. They said they were from the Changi group, but I realised it was a scam when their pronunciation of ‘Changi’ was incorrect.”

Catch Queenpins, an American comedy featuring two suburban homemakers turned con artists.
The numerous accounts shared by our readers highlight how prevalent scams are in Singapore, and this trend is only increasing.

If you’re interested in these scam narratives and want to see one brought to life on the big screen, consider watching MM2 Entertainment’s latest film, *Queenpins*.

Based on a true story, *Queenpins* is an American comedy that follows Connie (Kristen Bell), a bored suburban homemaker, and her best friend JoJo (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) as they transform a simple hobby into a multi-million dollar counterfeit coupon scheme.

After sending a complaint letter to the company responsible for a stale cereal box and receiving an apology along with a plethora of free products, the pair concoct a scheme to create an illicit coupon club that defrauds major corporations while providing incredible savings to fellow coupon enthusiasts.

At the same time, an unfortunate Loss Prevention Officer (played by Paul Walter Hauser) from a local supermarket team up with a resolute U.S. Postal Inspector (Vince Vaughn) to track down these newly established “Queenpins” involved in pink-collar crime.

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