SINGAPORE: The police and DBS Bank warned on Thursday (Nov 22) of a resurgence in phishing SMSes purportedly sent by DBS or POSB.
In the last two months, more than 50 people have reported falling victim to the scam, said the police and DBS Bank in a joint news release.
AdvertisementIn the phishing SMSes that looked like they were sent by the bank, victims were told that suspicious activity had been detected in their account.
Those who clicked on the link in the SMS were then directed to fraudulent websites where they were deceived into providing their Internet banking details.
The victims later found out that a new payee had been added to their bank accounts and unauthorised transactions were made.
[h=3]READ: Beware of DBS, OCBC phishing scams: Police[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementExamples of the fraudulent websites that users were directed to had URLs such as: dbs.account-access.info, dbs-account.com, posb.detailsverification.com and posb-online.com.
The banks' actual Web addresses are: Access Denied and Access Denied.
Authorities advised bank customers to always type in the full URL of the banks or use the official mobile banking application to ensure that they are using legitimate banking services.
[h=3]READ: Man loses S$49,500 from bank account in phishing scam[/h][h=3]READ: Beware of SMS claiming to 'unlock' bank accounts: Police[/h]VICTIMS' MONEY ALLEGEDLY FUNNELED INTO BITCOIN
Money that had been fraudulently transferred from bank accounts was later deposited into Bitcoin Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), said the police.
To do this, scammers allegedly recruited help by posting fake job advertisements on classified websites such as Gumtree for surveyors or food and beverage employees.
Unsuspecting victims who got the job were then asked for their personal information, including bank account details.
"As part of their job, the victims were then directed to withdraw money, supposedly transferred from the company into their bank accounts, and deposit them into Bitcoin ATMs," said the joint news release.
"Unknown to these victims, the monies that they have withdrawn were transferred from the bank accounts of other phishing scam victims who had clicked on phishing URLs in SMSes purportedly sent by the banks."
Apart from the fake job advertisements, scammers also allegedly befriended users of social and online gaming platforms, then asked for help to purchase Bitcoins for a commission.
The police reminded the public to be wary of requests to receive and transfer money, as such acts may facilitate money laundering.
"If you receive or are asked to receive funds from unknown and/or dubious sources, please lodge a police report immediately and do not deal with the funds," said DBS Bank and the police.
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