Scammers posing as MOM officers targeting foreign nationals

IMPACT – HIGH

What is the change? A phone scam has resurfaced in which callers posing as Ministry of Manpower or other government officials are asking for money from foreign nationals.

What does the change mean? Foreign nationals are reminded that phone and email scams are common and should be suspicious of any calls in which someone claiming to be a MOM officer seeks payment over the phone.

• Implementation time frame: Ongoing.
• Who is affected: Foreign nationals in Singapore.
• Business impact: Companies should make employees aware of various scams so they can be prepared should they be targeted.
• Next steps: Foreign nationals who are asked to transfer money by someone claiming to be a MOM officer should hang up, not transfer money and not give out personal information. The MOM website has recently been updated to provide information on how to identify fake MOM websites, email and phone scams. The website also now includes an anti-scam phone line to report such scams.

Background: The MOM has reported numerous fraudulent scams in recent years, including fake MOM websites, phishing e-services and phone and email scams. In 2014 and 2016, MOM warned that callers posing as MOM officials were able to fraudulently display a MOM Contact Centre’s number on the receiver’s caller ID.

BAL Analysis: Foreign nationals should be wary of any calls from individuals claiming to be MOM officers who ask for money to resolve a work pass issue. Employees who think they have been the target of a scam should call the MOM hotline, police hotline and their BAL professional.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group in Singapore. For additional information, please contact singapore@bal.com.

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