We would like to alert the public to a scam involving scammers posing as interested buyers of old currency notes. Since January 2019, at least 17 cases have been reported, with at least $44,000 cheated.

The scammers would either send a friend request on Facebook, or request to follow victims, who are sellers of old currency notes, on Instagram. After the victims accepted the request, the scammers would then advertise that they were collectors of old currency notes and asked victims to contact them.

In some cases, the scammers would message the victims to ask if they have old notes to sell. Once a victim has expressed interest, the scammer would then offer to buy the victim’s notes at high prices. Victims would then receive fake receipts from scammers as proof of successful payments and asked to pay administrative fees to the scammers. In some cases, victims would also receive calls or messages from foreign enforcement agencies and banks informing them of the need to transfer more money. In all the cases, the victims eventually did not receive any payment.

Members of the public are advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

• Don’t be impulsive – Beware of unusual requests from strangers. Do not fall for the scammers’ tricks. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Don’t believe – Scammers may provide receipts of payment to make you believe that they are genuine buyers. Do not fall for it.
• Don’t give – Do not make payment to unusual requests or give out your personal information, credit/debit card and bank account details to strangers.

If you wish to provide any information related to such crimes, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

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Together, we can help stop scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next scam victim.