At least $6.1m lost in seven months to scammers pretending to be officials from ICA, China

Over the past seven months, scammers have managed to steal at least $6.1 million from victims who were duped into believing they were speaking with officials from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) or China. The police reported 72 cases since January, warning of a growing trend in such scams. The con artists typically start with unsolicited phone calls, claiming the victim's details have been compromised or their phone numbers are linked to criminal activities.

When the victim denies any involvement, the call is transferred to another scammer pretending to be a China official, who then demands a transfer of money to cover an investigation or bail. In extreme cases, victims may be instructed to withdraw and hand over cash. The deception ends when the scammers become unreachable or when the victim seeks verification from government agencies.

The police urge people to never transfer money or valuables to unknown individuals who cannot be verified, and not to hand over money or valuables at a physical location for collection. Government officials will never request such actions. If in doubt, victims can call the ScamShield helpline at 1799 for verification. Since 2019, scams have cost Singaporeans more than $4 billion, with the police recovering about $140.5 million.

In 2025, government official impersonation scams have seen 3,363 reported cases leading to losses of $242.9 million, a significant increase from 1,504 cases in 2024 and 893 cases in 2023. These losses are second only to those of investment scams, which saw $336.2 million lost in the same period.