Beware of Fake Friend call scams
Anonymous | 09 Jun 2024
Impersonation Scam
On June 6, 2024, I received a call from a man claiming to be my long-time aircon service technician, asking me to save his new mobile number.
On June 8, he called me twice on WhatsApp, but I didn't answer. He then sent a WhatsApp message saying it was urgent. When I called back, he asked for help changing his mobile number in the "UOB" app, which I did. He then asked me to PayNow $2,800 to his relative for an urgent surgery. I initially refused, but he insisted he was in the hospital and begged for help, promising to repay me.
I transferred $1,000 to his relative "Winnie" using my "OCBC" savings account and sent him the transaction receipt. He then asked for another $1,800, which I couldn't transfer due to my credit limit. He sent me a fake transaction receipt for $2,900, claiming UOB would release the money in three hours.
I tried to transfer another $1,800 from my DBS savings account, but the transaction failed. DBS informed me that the PayNow number was reported as a scam and asked me to video call the person. The scammer refused the video call, citing inconvenience.
Three hours later, I checked my account, and the money wasn't returned. I tried calling the scammer multiple times, but he didn't answer. I reported the scam to OCBC and made a police report.
I hope the police can track down this scammer to prevent others from being scammed.
On June 8, he called me twice on WhatsApp, but I didn't answer. He then sent a WhatsApp message saying it was urgent. When I called back, he asked for help changing his mobile number in the "UOB" app, which I did. He then asked me to PayNow $2,800 to his relative for an urgent surgery. I initially refused, but he insisted he was in the hospital and begged for help, promising to repay me.
I transferred $1,000 to his relative "Winnie" using my "OCBC" savings account and sent him the transaction receipt. He then asked for another $1,800, which I couldn't transfer due to my credit limit. He sent me a fake transaction receipt for $2,900, claiming UOB would release the money in three hours.
I tried to transfer another $1,800 from my DBS savings account, but the transaction failed. DBS informed me that the PayNow number was reported as a scam and asked me to video call the person. The scammer refused the video call, citing inconvenience.
Three hours later, I checked my account, and the money wasn't returned. I tried calling the scammer multiple times, but he didn't answer. I reported the scam to OCBC and made a police report.
I hope the police can track down this scammer to prevent others from being scammed.
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