{
  "id": 301354,
  "title": "Be on alert for iMessages from scammers posing as the police and Singapore courts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/be-on-alert-for-imessages-from-scammers-posing-as-the-police-and",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-08T09:15:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/be-on-alert-for-imessages-from-scammers-posing-as-the-police-and-singapore-courts"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Singaporeans using Apple's iMessage are urged to remain vigilant against scammers attempting to trick recipients into divulging personal information and banking details. The police have observed a rise in phishing scams, impersonating the police and courts, across multiple channels. Victims have received unsolicited iMessages from foreign numbers or email addresses, claiming they have committed traffic offences, unpaid parking fees, or missed court summonses. These messages threaten consequences such as arrest warrants or vehicle impoundments, directing recipients to click a link or reply with a code to \"acknowledge\" the notice. Upon clicking the link, they are directed to a fake government portal where they are prompted to enter sensitive information for \"payment processing\". The police emphasize that the Singapore Police Force, Traffic Police, and Singapore Courts will never request payment through unsolicited links or text message replies. Recipients of suspicious notices should verify them through official portals or by contacting the authority directly. iMessage users are advised to enable filtering for unknown senders and spam, and report suspicious messages through the app's reporting function. The police recommend installing the ScamShield app and enabling security features like two-factor authentication for bank accounts and e-wallets, along with setting transaction limits for internet banking and PayNow. For further information on scams, the public can visit scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.",
  "summary": "Straits Times warns iMessage users to be cautious of scam attempts impersonating Singapore police and courts. In recent months, there has been a rise in phishing scams targeting users of Apple’s iMessage platform. Scammers have been sending unsolicited iMessages from foreign numbers or email addresses, claiming that the recipient has committed a traffic offence, unpaid parking fee, or failed to settle a court summons. These messages threaten consequences such as arrest warrants or vehicle impoundment, and direct victims to click a link or reply with a code to \"acknowledge\" the notice. Upon clicking the link, victims are redirected to a spoofed government portal, where they are prompted to enter their card details, online banking credentials, or a one-time password to \"process\" the outstanding payment. Victims only realize they have been scammed when unauthorized transactions appear on their bank accounts. The police have advised the public to verify any traffic offences or court summons through official portals or by contacting the relevant authority directly. They have also advised iMessage users to enable Filter Unknown Senders and Filter Spam functions in their app settings, and report suspicious messages via the in-app reporting function.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}