SINGAPORE: Scammers posing as employees from Google and Apple cheated multiple victims of at least S$15,700 between Dec 13 and 20, the police said on Saturday (Dec 22).
At least eight reports of impersonation scams by callers posing as employees from Apple and Google were reported during that period, the police said.
AdvertisementConvenience stores were targeted in this particular scam.
In this scheme, the impersonators reportedly called the retailers, claiming to have received numerous complaints from customers who were unable to retrieve the monetary values from their Apple iTunes and Google Play gift cards, the police said
As part of their "investigations", the scammer would then request for the activation numbers for the cards, on the pretext of checking their validity.
When provided with the numbers, the scammers would then tell the retailers that they would get back to them after updating their "main office" of the findings. However, no further calls would come, the police said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe police have advised retailers to be cautious when receiving unsolicited calls from unknown persons, even if they claim to be working for suppliers.
"If in doubt, verify the authenticity of the calls by contacting your supplier on their previously known phone numbers, instead of the numbers provided by the callers," the police said.
They also advised store owners to educate their employees about this scam.
For more information on scams, visit ScamAlert - Bringing you the latest scam info or call the anti-scam hotline at 1800-722-6688.
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