Scam Prevention
News Summary: Since March 1 2025, Singaporeans have lost S$156K to EZ-link and SimplyGO phishing scams.
- Admin
- 8 April 2025
Summary: Since March 1 2025, Singaporeans have lost S$156K to EZ-link and SimplyGO phishing scams.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has issued a scam advisory on EZ-link and SimplyGO phishing scams. It was reported that since March of 2025, Singaporeans have lost a minimum of S$156,000 to such scams. Learn how to stay safe from phishing fraud with Scam.SG!
How the EZ-Link and SimplyGo Phishing Scam Works
In this new scam variant, victims will encounter advertisements or posts on social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram, impersonating EZ-link or SimplyGO. In these adverts, they would offer enticing promotions such as unlimited travel on Singapore’s public transport for only S$3.
To gain access to these “offers”, the victims will be redirected to spoofed websites with the EZ-link or SimplyGo logos. This is where the victims will be prompted to enter their internet banking details and One-Time Passwords (OTPs) to purchase these promotions.
In some cases, victims will also first be redirected to participate in online games or questionnaires to win those promotions. After winning, they will be prompted to enter their debit or credit card details, as well as OTPs.
Victims will only realise they have been scammed after they discover unauthorised transactions coming from their bank accounts, with some cases involving foreign currency too.
This is a typical phishing scam that makes use of enticing promotions on advertisements that lead to spoofed phishing websites. Learn what to do if you gave your personal information to a phishing scam.
How Scam.SG Can Assist You In Scam Prevention
At Scam.SG, we make use of our proprietary AI-powered TrustScore to score companies on their trustworthiness. We combine important metrics as well as customer reviews to help users stay safe from scams in Singapore. Before trusting, check with us at Scam.SG!
Learn more about TrustScore and how it can help you.
Read up on our variety of articles and discover the different types of scams in Singapore to stay safe.
Phishing Scams
Phishing scams in Singapore are a type of fraudulent scheme that tricks victims into sharing sensitive information such as passwords or bank information. Scammers often do this by disguising themselves as legitimate sources, such as governmental bodies or large banks.
Common variants of phishing fraud in Singapore include:
-
Smishing (SMS Phishing): Fake texts that impersonate governmental bodies or banks
-
Email Phishing: Fake emails that impersonate governmental bodies or banks
-
Vishing (Video Phishing): Scammers may take video calls while impersonating police officers or bank officials.
-
Spoofed Websites: As seen above, scammers mimic legitimate websites to phish for sensitive information.
-
Business Email Compromise: Scammers impersonate company executives or vendors to steal company funds or information.
According to the 2024 Annual Scams and Cybercrime Brief by the SPF, phishing scams were the third-highest reported scam cases in Singapore. 8,552 phishing cases were reported, with losses of more than S$59.4 million.
Phishing scams are getting more sophisticated, and we should be more vigilant to avoid them. Learn more about phishing scams in Singapore and their red flags. If you have given your personal information to these scams, discover the immediate steps to take.
E-Commerce Scams
E-commerce scams are fraudulent schemes that take advantage of shoppers during the online shopping process. Scammers trick victims into paying for goods or services that are fake, never arrive or are misrepresented. Some scams also involve the theft of personal information such as bank details.
Many e-commerce scams in Singapore also follow the same modus operandi as the phishing scam mentioned above. When making a payment, scammers redirect victims to spoofed phishing websites that resemble legitimate banking websites. Victims are prompted to enter their banking details or personal details, which will be stolen and misused by the fraudsters.
According to the 2024 Annual Scams and Cybercrime Brief by the SPF, at least S$17.5 million was lost in 2024 to e-commerce scams in Singapore. This is an increase from S$13.9 million in 2023.
It is important to understand the red flags of e-commerce fraud in Singapore to avoid it. Learn more about e-commerce scams and how to stay safe with Scam.SG!
Impersonation Scams
Impersonation scams in Singapore are fraudulent schemes that pretend to be someone you trust to trick you into giving away money or personal information. This can be bank staff, governmental officers, tech support agents or even a friend or family member. The umbrella of impersonation scams in Singapore can contain fake friend call scams, social media impersonation scams and government official impersonation scams.
To reference the article above, scammers might impersonate official EZ-link or SimplyGO staff to sell you fraudulent promotions. Unfortunate victims might then be tricked into giving away sensitive information such as bank details, or transfer money to these scammers.
According to the 2024 Annual Scams and Cybercrime Brief by the SPF, impersonation scams in total amounted to one of the biggest scam types in Singapore. In total, the umbrella of impersonation scams lost a minimum of S$191.3 million in 2024 alone.
Impersonation fraud is one of the most dangerous scams present in Singapore. Discover how to stay safe against impersonation scams with Scam.SG. Learn how to recognise red flags and prevention tips.