Singaporean authorities have alerted people to be cautious of the various job scams. As of May, scammers have already stolen about S$20 million (US$15 million) from thousands of victims through their different attack campaigns.
Job Scam Variants You Need to Avoid
According to a report by Channel News Asia, at least 1,399 victims fell trap to scams disguised as job opportunities. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) announced on Thursday, June 8, that scammers often lure the victims into dubious platforms where they will spend their money on too-good-to-be-true investments.
In particular, the most common platforms where you can spot these suspicious individuals are Telegram or WhatsApp. From here, they will manipulate the victims and tell them to answer a short survey that can boost their store's ratings. It's part of their tactic as a self-proclaimed merchant of an online store.
Commission Scams on Fraudulent Websites
According to the police, the criminals usually tell the victims that they will give them rewards after finishing the tasks.
What's worse, the victims will go with the flow just to earn a commission without knowing that their money will be stolen after creating accounts on fraudulent websites.
Once the conditions are met and the victims have already paid, the scammers will instruct them to pay more money to unlock more tasks that will net them thousands of profit.
To make the transaction sound legit, the people will be asked to submit a screenshot as proof that they have already left a review on the product listing. The message will be sent on Telegram or WhatsApp.
Before the victim places an order for an item he/she wants to purchase, the criminal will send the links, which will direct to the payment method. By then, the victims have no idea that their bank accounts are linked to the website.
Read also: Scamshield App Scam: Singapore Warns People Who Buy Food Items Online Over Fake Shopping App
Crypto Scams
Furthermore, the crypto scam is another type of scam that every person should avoid. You can encounter these low-key scammers in several messaging apps, including Messenger and Instagram. Their goal is to force the victim to sign up in their so-called "crypto market" group, per The Strait Times.
"Victims would only realize that they had been scammed when they were not unable to recover their subsequent high-value payments for tasks," the police said.
How to Avoid These Job Scams
According to the authorities, the public should take note if there are suspicious transactions on the platform. It's best to use anti-scam apps like ScamShield to protect yourself and your assets from being stolen. It's not only a highly-recommended app for security, but it also safeguards your financial details so scammers won't be able to touch your Singpass and bank accounts.
Just like what the police remind you about these scenarios, don't trust a person you haven't met before. Indeed, you don't need to lower your guard when talking to strangers online.
If you have any leads about this kind of scam, you can dial the authorities at 1800-255-0000. You can also submit your concerns by visiting this website: www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. For urgent needs, call 999 right away.
