Singapore woman loses US$900,000 to scammers posing as police officers

By Phong Ngo March 18, 2025 | 02:17 am PT

A Singaporean woman lost her life savings of S$1.2 million (US$900,900) to scammers impersonating officers from the police’s Anti-Scam Center (ASC) over two months.

The victim, identified only as Jane, a finance professional in her 50s, recounted her ordeal in an interview facilitated by police on March 14, as reported by The Straits Times.

The scam began on Dec. 11, 2024, when a caller posing as an ASC officer claimed her identity card had been misused.

She was transferred to a man identifying himself as "Inspector Yang," who accused her of money laundering and demanded her bank statements. He instructed her to check in multiple times daily via WhatsApp and to keep the case confidential.

On Dec. 13, she received a fake police letter warning she would be charged with laundering illicit funds and detained for 60 days if she did not comply.

A day later, another scammer, "Inspector Chong," told her to withdraw S$500,000 and open a bank account to transfer funds as part of an "investigation."

Online scammers steal victims' personal information and money. Illustration from Pixabay

Feeling overwhelmed and unwell, Jane complied. "I was very sick and overloaded with work. I just wanted to give them whatever they wanted so they could close the case," she said, adding that she was also grieving the death of her father.

Over the next two weeks, she transferred S$180,000 to multiple accounts. When her Chinese bank account was suspended on Dec. 20, she was told to withdraw the remaining S$320,000 and hand it over in cash to a man posing as an investigator in central Singapore.

She met with the scammer four times, ultimately handing over her entire savings by Jan. 3, 2025. She repeatedly asked for her money back, but the scammers claimed the case was before the High Court and ceased communication on Jan. 24.

Realizing she had been defrauded, she reported the crime to the Pasir Ris Neighborhood Police Center on Feb. 6.

In 2024, Singapore recorded 1,504 cases of government official impersonation scams, with victims losing at least S$151.3 million. Most victims were aged 50 to 64, and scammers primarily contacted them via phone and WhatsApp.