Scam Alerts : Grindr + Love + Massage + Job + Online + Loan + Gov Call Scam (compiled)

[G_M]

On 11/20/2021 at 12:56 AM, Guest Idiot said:

Hi everyone, I just want to inform everyone beware of Massage Scam if anyone asked you make the payment in advance.
 

I was the victim and was being scammed of $150. Initially the masseuse I contacted at Jack’d asked me to make transfer through bank transfer, which I was reluctant as I told the masseuse I will pay in cash. Then when I reach the blk, the masseuse insisted me to make payment in advance and provided me his NRIC no. to make payment which I caught off guard and made the payment. So lesson I learnt never make any payment before receive the massage else just go home.

 

Anyway to avoid future victim take note if you encountered this postal code and NRIC (only show last 4 characters due to PDPA):

Postal Code - 510458

NRIC - *****302G
 

I had called the bank though knowingly the chance of receive back the money is slim. Let’s see after 45 days later.

 

Blowing Wind has a Massage Folder with many accountable masseurs and you go on Jack'd, etc. App to look for unaccountable masseurs.

 

Who is to blame? 

 

Let this $150 be your lesson.

[Guest 犯贱冰冰]

On 11/20/2021 at 6:38 PM, G_M said:

 

Blowing Wind has a Massage Folder with many accountable masseurs and you go on Jack'd, etc. App to look for unaccountable masseurs.

 

Who is to blame? 

 

Let this $150 be your lesson.

LOL

[Andrew240577]

Ya normally even there are a store i also do not believe. I used to have some female masseurs have promotion $28 for first try. ( Massage is base on skill guy or girl is not a matter )  $28 not a bad price. The female who do the promotion are quite pretty so i purchase a ticket for a try. The massage is a old auntie. I do not care because i just want massage. During massage i noticed her skill is normal. No strength so so. While massaging she keep saying their promotion like paying 10 time for $300 and 20 time for $500 inadvance. After massage the admin girl still trying to ask me to go for the $500 promotion and i noticed 3 to 4 china girls there keep nagging about their special offer while i keep rejecting their offer.

I not again china people. I feel like they are  kind of like scaming of 1 time payment and then disappear. I tell them it is not the money issue. I just do not trust them. They try convince me their store is famous in singapore but i never hear before. 

It more than 5 years ago. I spend alot of money in massage so i know they lying.

 

A lot of scammer just rent a store temporarily scamed your money and disappear month later. So try not to believe those stores. My friends been scamed before.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Andrew240577

[Andrew240577]

On 11/20/2021 at 8:52 PM, Andrew240577 said:

Ya normally even there are a store i also do not believe. I used to have some female masseurs have promotion $28 for first try. ( Massage is base on skill guy or girl is not a matter ) So $28 not a bad price. The female who do the promotion are quite pretty so i purchase a ticket for a try. The massage is a old auntie. I do not care because i just want massage. Then during massage i noticed her skill is normal. No strength so so. Then she keep saying their promotion like paying 10 time for $300 and 20 time for $500 inadvance. After massage the admin girl still trying to ask me to go for the $500 promotion and i noticed 3 to 4 china girls there keep nagging about their special offer while i keep rejecting their offer.

I not again china people. I feel like they are  kind of like scaming of 1 time payment and then disappear. I tell them it is not the money issue. I just do not trust them. They try convince me their store is famous in singapore but i never hear before. 

It more than 5 years ago. I spend alot of money in massage so i know they lying.

 

A lot of scammer just rent a store temporarily scamed your money and disappear month later. So try not to believe those stores. My friends been scamed before.

Some massage store who are closing too. Still doing their promotion taking customers money in advance . Like those gym membership and make you sign a papers that that will not pay you back if they closing. Like california gym in the past.

[Guest Guest Idiot]

Not blaming anyone, treat it as a form of lesson learnt. Just to share what happen on me to everyone for awareness, even the person disclosed back and front NRIC, don’t believe so easily. 

[Square]

Appreciate the update. 

If the transaction went thru and u have the J'd emails, I can't see why u can't get your money back actually. 

Scammers are getting more innovative and crafty these days.

So I wouldn't put it past anyone to fall prey.

It may happen to anyone of us. 

 

On 11/20/2021 at 6:38 PM, G_M said:

 

Blowing Wind has a Massage Folder with many accountable masseurs and you go on Jack'd, etc. App to look for unaccountable masseurs.

 

Who is to blame? 

 

Let this $150 be your lesson.

 

 

 

 

[fab]

Don't be greedy and or lusty.

[Guest Guest]

On 11/21/2021 at 3:01 PM, fab said:

Don't be greedy and or lusty.

 

Huh? Dun just post rubbish for the sake of posting!

[firefight]

On 11/21/2021 at 12:45 PM, Guest Guest Idiot said:

Not blaming anyone, treat it as a form of lesson learnt. Just to share what happen on me to everyone for awareness, even the person disclosed back and front NRIC, don’t believe so easily. 

Do remember to make a police report online. I have had genuinely mistakenly sent money to unknown person (typo) and the bank will provide more help if you can provide them the police report. The officer will call and say if you have any updates just give them a call.

[Enforcer]

On 11/20/2021 at 12:56 AM, Guest Idiot said:

Hi everyone, I just want to inform everyone beware of Massage Scam if anyone asked you make the payment in advance.
 

I was the victim and was being scammed of $150. Initially the masseuse I contacted at Jack’d asked me to make transfer through bank transfer, which I was reluctant as I told the masseuse I will pay in cash. Then when I reach the blk, the masseuse insisted me to make payment in advance and provided me his NRIC no. to make payment which I caught off guard and made the payment. So lesson I learnt never make any payment before receive the massage else just go home.

 

Anyway to avoid future victim take note if you encountered this postal code and NRIC (only show last 4 characters due to PDPA):

Postal Code - 510458

NRIC - *****302G
 

I had called the bank though knowingly the chance of receive back the money is slim. Let’s see after 45 days later.

Thanks for informing. 

Pls make a police report and provide as much evidence as possible and let your bank know in details to liaise with the police.

Edited November 26, 2021 by Enforcer

[123ZZZ]

On 11/20/2021 at 7:04 AM, Guest Guest said:

 

Even if it is just $150, it is still a con job. The police will have to do something about it if a police report is lodged. 

 

TS is right to make a request to the bank to ask for the return of the money. The next thing that the bank will do is to send a letter to the other party's bank to see if the other party will grant them the permission to refund the $150 to TS. The other party will most likely say no. 

 

Then TS can go lodge a police report with evidence of the transfer if he wants to. Police will ask what is the payment supposed to be for. That is when the conversation of the records can become a form of evidence, which I hope will not be incriminating TS for some purchase of sexual activity and especially not with minors. Jack'd or no Jack'd is not a problem as it is just a dating site and not illegal (yet). 

 

Police will then call up the other party with that NRIC and during that time, you can see if the other party will be rattled enough to return the money back to you. He might is he is a younger and more inexperienced con person. Otherwise, the other party can claim that you have already been given the service, which the police can go check the CCTV to see if you went up to the house or not. But police will most likely not go that far to do that because it is too much hassle for them (yes, they are lazy).  

If nric number given is fake?

[fourth]

in that case, i doubt the postal code is indicative of his actual address. you can make an online police report. just submit all the screen shots. don't lose out on this just because you're afraid of outing yourself.

[Guest Guest]

Anyone receive this call from MOH saying that u have been spreading fake covid 19 info.And they are taking action on u with a heavy fine

[Guest Guest]

alway got moh voice mail toking sum vaccinton crap. jus ignore lo.

[Guest Wtf]

Every single day. Anytime you see +65 number, just ignore. 

[Guest Tom Harry D]

And the call always ends with yoi having to press a number to connect with an 'officer' , fake one. 

 

Sometimes speak with Malaysian lian pang accent, sometimes with crips mainland accennt. 

 

Tell me where SPF got recruit ah tiong and Ah JHK to be police investigating officer one. 

 

Haiyoo, what a lousy giveaway. 

 

大陆腔  与  联邦腔  ， 可以做 驸马爷   吗 ?

[Guest Porkball]

On 12/2/2021 at 2:58 PM, Guest Tom Harry D said:

And the call always ends with yoi having to press a number to connect with an 'officer' , fake one. 

 

Sometimes speak with Malaysian lian pang accent, sometimes with crips mainland accennt. 

 

Tell me where SPF got recruit ah tiong and Ah JHK to be police investigating officer one. 

 

Haiyoo, what a lousy giveaway. 

 

大陆腔  与  联邦腔  ， 可以做 驸马爷   吗 ?

It is by design and deliberate to have such lousy giveaway because they want to target and scam the people who cannot even detect such giveaways. See it like a filter. 

So even with such lousy giveaways these people cannot detect, then the scammers will have best chance to cheat them. Those smarter people, the scammers don’t want to waste them with them. 
 

There was a recent article in Nigeria Prince scam. They explained why the scam sounds so ludicrous but yet people still fell for it. 

[shenalone]

I always get this, once I see I answer and press 3 and 5 to connect to them waste their time to do my part to prevent scam. 
 

once they answer they will hello MOH then u no reply they hello again then put down.

[Guest Horny sucker]

Yes, regularly, followed by asking you to press button "3".  They sound very fluent in English and Mandarin too.  Any call that is automated (be it MOH, SPF or Bank) just hang up.    If it is a good looking police imposter asking you to furnish information, tell them you have none but you are willing to offer a blow job.  Just kidding.

[Guest GUEST]

Wonder why there are so many such +65 number from MOH keeps bombarding people handphone? Super irritating. 

[Guest Oh I’m so excited]

On 12/2/2021 at 7:53 PM, shenalone said:

I always get this, once I see I answer and press 3 and 5 to connect to them waste their time to do my part to prevent scam. 
 

once they answer they will hello MOH then u no reply they hello again then put down.

To entertain them, I did this and everyone please do the same

 

[Guest Guest]

be more alert and vigilant guys!

 

now the scam msg will enter the usual sms chat history used for authentic banking services.

 

more younger customers & executives are victims cos the msgs look too real.

 

 

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/ocbc-bank-customer-lost-120k-in-fake-text-message-scam-another-had-250k-stolen

 

Young couple lost $120k in fake text message scam targeting OCBC Bank customers

 

SINGAPORE - It took a man and his wife five years to save about $120,000, but in just 30 minutes, scammers using a fake text message stole the money they had kept in their OCBC Bank joint savings account.

 

The couple in their 20s were among at least 469 people who reportedly fell victim to phishing scams involving OCBC in the last two weeks of December last year.

 

The victims lost around $8.5 million in total.

 

Speaking to The Sunday Times, the couple, who declined to be identified, said they had been saving up to start a family. They have not been able to get their money back.

 

The husband works in the e-commerce sector, while his wife is in the hospitality industry. The man said he received the phishing message with a link at around noon on Dec 21 last year.

 

It claimed that an unknown payee had been added to their account, and instructed him to click on the link if it was not approved by him.

 

"The SMS looked like it came from OCBC and entered the usual SMS chat history from OCBC used for authentic banking services," he said.

 

"The link took me to a site that looked exactly like the OCBC login page."

 

He then entered his account details, unwittingly handing over control of the whole account to scammers.

 

The couple realised they had been scammed only when the man received SMSes from the bank informing him of changes and transactions involving the account that had taken place earlier that afternoon.

 

He showed ST his text message history. According to the time stamp, the bank sent him the alert at about 2pm, only for him to receive it past 6pm.

 

"Had we received the notifications on time, we would have been able to react faster, and perhaps been able to reach the relevant teams during the same business day to stop the transactions," said the man.

 

ST understands that it is possible the scammers had re-routed or delayed the SMSes. 

 

The couple had also received messages earlier that access to their account was being set up on another phone, but this was followed with fake messages from the scammer telling them to ignore the messages, claiming they were just part of a system upgrade. 

 

After news broke that others had also been scammed, the couple decided to start a group for victims in an attempt to collectively seek answers.

 

Theirs was not the largest sum stolen.

 

A 38-year-old software engineer who fell prey to the same scam on Dec 28 told ST that he lost about $250,000 he had been saving since 2010.

 

The father of a young child with special needs said the loss has been devastating, and he has been hiding it from his family.

 

"It's a horrible situation that impacts my whole life," he said.

 

"I didn't know there was a scam going around... how would I have known?"

 

Eight victims have contacted ST to share their frustration.

 

Responding to queries from ST, Mr Francisco Celio, head of group corporate security at OCBC, said it has been assisting those affected.

 

"The recent SMS phishing scam impersonated OCBC and preyed on the fears of consumers about their personal bank accounts," he said.

 

"It is particularly aggressive and highly sophisticated in duping consumers into disclosing their personal banking details despite repeated bank warnings to be alert and not to do so."

 

The bank said it has since halted its plans to phase out physical hardware tokens by the end of March this year, and has also stopped sending SMSes with links in them in the light of the spate of phishing incidents.

 

OCBC launched its fraud surveillance system in 2016, and uses machine learning to assist in detecting and immediately flagging fraudulent transactions, which are then reviewed by a fraud analyst.

 

It also implemented its anti-financial malware system in 2019. It is able to identify what device its banking services are accessed from.

 

Mr Celio added that OCBC's banking systems remain safe and secure and have not been hacked.

 

A group of victims issued a statement to ST, alleging that the bank had not responded fast enough, failed to ensure the security of its SMS channel, and that remediation for customers was lacking.

 

"While the attack may have been particularly aggressive, it is OCBC's duty to their customers to be ready for this," they said.

 

Cyber security expert Anthony Lim, who is also a fellow at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said scammers have advanced software enabling them to spoof telecommunications services and send SMSes that appear in the same threads used by real organisations.

 

He added that even if victims did not provide their one-time passwords (OTPs), they would have sealed their fate when they entered other bank details on the fraudulent sites.

 

"Once the victim unwittingly responds by entering the bank account credentials, the hackers' technologies can divert and capture a copy of the SMS OTP issued by the bank," he said.

 

He also said there is a limit to how much a consumer can be protected, and that consumers need to be aware and protect themselves.

 

"Quite unfortunately, with regard to such message scams, there is only so much technology can do (to protect consumers)," he said.

 

"The best way to avoid falling prey to these is still awareness, and the accompanying scepticism."

 

Tips to avoid being scammed

With scammers using more advanced technologies and software, the simplest advice may work best - be suspicious of messages sent via SMS or WhatsApp asking for personal details.

 

Cyber security expert Anthony Lim said consumers should take the following precautions when dealing with online transactions and banking details:

 

• Do not act in a hurry or under duress

• Do not respond to messages asking for personal credentials, passwords or PINs

• Be suspicious of messages sent via SMS or WhatsApp asking for personal details

• Never click on links in such messages

• Never download any attached file in such messages, however interesting or attractive it may be made out to be

 

Separately, OCBC Bank advises consumers not to access their bank accounts through SMS links.

 

Mobile access to bank accounts should always be done using the official banking or payment app, or by keying in the bank's URL directly into the browser.

 

[Guest Guest]

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/ocbc-phishing-scam-left-victim-broke-and-starving-christmas-day-1786751

 

OCBC phishing scam left victim broke and starving on Christmas Day

• Six scam victims said the fact that the fake message appeared in the SMS thread used by OCBC was why they mistakenly thought that the link in the message was credible
• At least 469 bank customers were affected by the phishing scam, totalling around S$8.5 million in losses 
• Some did not give scammers their one-time passwords, but their accounts were hijacked anyway
• The bank has said it is rendering assistance to affected customers

 

SINGAPORE — Being penniless and hungry on Christmas Day was not something that 33-year-old Trisha (not her real name), whose OCBC bank account was targeted by scammers through an SMS phishing scam on Christmas Eve last month, ever imagined could happen to her.

 

Like many others who received a text message disguised as an official message from the bank, the Singaporean clicked on a link in the fake message that exhorted her to activate the bank’s OneToken authentication tool.

 

It brought her to another fake website, but one that, to her, looked convincingly like the bank’s internet banking login page.

 

Within minutes of her keying in her account information and one-time password (OTP), the scammers hijacked her OCBC bank account and drained it of S$68,000 — her entire savings. The bank could not reverse the fraudulent transactions.

 

For someone who works in the finance industry, is well-read in bank protocols and regulations, and is IT savvy, Trisha could not believe that she had fallen prey to a phishing scam. She declined to give her real name for this article.

 

“I had to borrow money from friends and family on Christmas just so I didn’t go hungry,” she recalled. “It was humiliating.”

 

The scam affected at least 469 OCBC customers and amounted to around S$8.5 million in losses altogether, making it one of the more widespread cases of bank-related fraud last year. Phishing attacks through emails and text messages have gone up last year, with the police warning last November about the rise of such tactics.

 

Among the many affected are those who are less shrewd with technology and are more likely to fall prey to such scams. But the latest scam targeting OCBC customers managed to fool executives and finance professionals as well.

 

One finance executive who lost nearly S$20,000 said he fell for the scammers’ tactics because they were able to spoof their SMS messages such that they appeared in the official SMS thread that OCBC uses, which meant that the fraudulent message would appear alongside other legitimate messages.

 

Based on the accounts of six victims who spoke to TODAY, this was the main reason they mistakenly thought that the link in the message was credible. The bank notified customers that it will no longer send web links in its SMS communication.

 

There were also questions about how the criminals were able to channel out large sums of money from bank accounts in a suspicious manner — in most cases emptying the account of funds — without the bank’s risk detection systems kicking in.

 

Some victims were frustrated that when they tried to contact the bank’s hotline while funds were being channelled out without their authorisation, they had been put on hold long enough for the scammers to empty their bank accounts.

 

One bank customer who lost around S$18,000 told TODAY he had gone to a physical bank outlet in person to stop the transactions, but he kept receiving phone notifications of money being funnelled to the scammers for around 15 minutes after bank officers told him they would freeze his internet banking service.

 

In several cases, the victims could not understand how the scammers were able to quickly raise their transaction limits and conduct large local and overseas transactions to new payees without the need for an SMS-based OTP, which is a form of two-factor authentication.

 

One couple in their 40s, whose joint savings account was wiped of S$80,000, admitted that while they were at fault for compromising their bank account by divulging their account name and bank access code, they did not give the scammers any OTP or security token information.

 

The bank’s internal investigation officers had told them it was impossible for such large transactions to be made without the OTP.

 

“But my husband (who was phished by the scammers) did not surrender the OTP to the scam website because he was driving at the time… Yet, they were able to take over our account’s OneToken without an OTP, and then transact after that,” said the wife.

 

The couple, who have three young children, have not been on talking terms since the incident on Dec 29. The financial loss has significantly impacted their family’s savings and scuttled plans to travel overseas with the kids in 2022, she said.

 

TODAY understands that OTP passwords sent via SMS could have been rerouted or compromised through a known vulnerability. Last September, Singapore authorities warned of bank OTPs being diverted to malicious actors overseas to conduct fraudulent transactions, affecting 75 bank customers.

 

OCBC head of group corporate security Francisco Celio said the bank’s systems have not been hacked and remain safe and secure.

 

“Unlike other SMS phishing scams, the recent SMS phishing scam impersonated OCBC and preyed on the fears of consumers about their personal bank accounts. It is particularly aggressive and highly sophisticated in duping consumers into disclosing their personal banking details despite repeated bank warnings to be alert and not to do so,” said Mr Celio.

 

He added that the bank is rendering assistance to these customers and has set up a dedicated team to help them through the difficult period.

 

“We understand and share the anxiety of our customers who have fallen prey to these scammers,” he said.

 

Nevertheless, the scam victims who spoke to TODAY are worried that the money is as good as gone. Trisha said the bank officer handling her case had told her that she could likely bear the full liability of the S$68,000 loss, since it was she who gave up her login details and OTP to the scammers.

 

The issue of who bears the loss in such frauds, especially when the bank customer did not give up account details to the scammers, is still being reviewed by the authorities, according to an MAS circular sent to financial institutions last August.

 

In general, bank users who have suffered financial losses from fraudulent transactions are protected as long as they have acted responsibly, according to a parliamentary reply by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong last July.

 

“The recent SMS phishing attack is not the first and will certainly not be the last. We will continue to put in additional measures as new tricks are continuously deployed by scammers,” said Mr Celio.

 

“We strongly condemn the actions of these scammers. We have been working closely with the Singapore Police Force on this incident,” he added.

 

[Guest Guest]

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/least-s85-million-lost-december-phishing-scams-involving-ocbc-bank-1781371

 

 

 

[Guest Guest]

Very good .A big lesson for the young generation to believe internet banking and put too much trust in it.Even the bank officer always say internet banking is always safe .Imagine once u lost your phone all your account can be transfer.

[Guest Wtf]

On 1/10/2022 at 12:12 PM, Guest Guest said:

Very good .A big lesson for the young generation to believe internet banking and put too much trust in it.Even the bank officer always say internet banking is always safe .Imagine once u lost your phone all your account can be transfer.

Errrr, that’s not the lesson at all. Internet banking is safe and your accounts can’t be transferred if you lose your phone unless you have not set your security settings properly.

 

People were duped by scammers long before internet banking. 

[Guest Guest]

Alot of us have the ‘false impression’ that these scammers are mostly from ‘third world countries’ or are not as advanced etc.

 

But the mastermind behind these scams are people who are highly qualified and very tech savvy. Probably even decent looking. But they are ruthless.

[jlone]

I was wondering for this type of cases, how come the bank could not trace where n how the money was transferred to the scammers?
Surely something can be done to prevent n stop this!

[lonelyglobe]

On 1/10/2022 at 1:25 PM, jlone said:

I was wondering for this type of cases, how come the bank could not trace where n how the money was transferred to the scammers?
Surely something can be done to prevent n stop this!

I wonder how the scammer know which account got money? Hacked into bank's datebase? Insider info? Or generally sporean are very rich,  anyhow scam also got money. But if scammer come and scam me,  sorry leh, u realy suay until cannot suay,  the most you can get will not be more than $50 ha.... 

 

Beside bank scam, also got shopee job scam,  looks like scammers finally realised sporean generally are very rich even with covid. 

Edited January 10, 2022 by lonelyglobe

[Guest Trust no one]

Usually when you hear this kind of news. You'll think it's so rich tai tai or old folks who don't know how to use online banking... 

 

This kind are legit tech savy people who have lots of money le. 

 

How they save up so much in their account I also don't know la. Can have so much money but can be so dumb. 

 

From investment perspective, you should only have 3 to 6 months emergency fund. The rest need to go into some fixed savings or investment. 

 

People so stupid just park like 120k in bank... 

 

They deserve to lose those money la. Its a good lesson. I never click on sms links. Also quickly disable any sms 2FA, it can be hijacked. 

 

Always enter the legit website on your pc. Type out the link or bookmark the legit one. Don't click on link. 

 

Even recently there is a CPF email ask you click on link and enter password etc to check your monthly CPF. Don't click!!! 

Its a matter of time scammer abuse it. 

 

Anything need to check. Go login manually to the website and navigate there. Anything that requires you to click link and enter something can be abused 

 

Even if police call you and say thus and that. Just say they are scammer. If anything come down to my house and arrest me. Best is throw away phone. Can't be scammed if scammer can't reach you! 

[singalion]

On 1/10/2022 at 12:12 PM, Guest Guest said:

Very good .A big lesson for the young generation to believe internet banking and put too much trust in it.Even the bank officer always say internet banking is always safe .Imagine once u lost your phone all your account can be transfer.

 

On 1/10/2022 at 12:26 PM, Guest Wtf said:

Errrr, that’s not the lesson at all. Internet banking is safe and your accounts can’t be transferred if you lose your phone unless you have not set your security settings properly.

 

People were duped by scammers long before internet banking. 

 

Most banks would not come with any such of the example messages in an sms.

Banks usually don't sms or whatsapp with links to do something but just send a message without a link.

 

If in doubt, before entering any details, call the bank and clarify.

 

After receiving so many sms messages or emails from fraudsters for bank accounts I don't even maintain any bank account, I m quite alert.

 

The first reaction of the young couple or anyone should have been to call the bank why their account is suspended.

 

In fact, it would be appreciated if banks send a warning message or post on their website about such phishing, fraudster events... However, most banks in SGP only act when the damage is done.

 

But this also means, when you get any fishy sms from a bank, then directly write in or address it to you bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Dun be an ass]

On 1/10/2022 at 2:40 PM, Guest Trust no one said:

How they save up so much in their account I also don't know la. Can have so much money but can be so dumb. 

 

From investment perspective, you should only have 3 to 6 months emergency fund. The rest need to go into some fixed savings or investment. 

 

People so stupid just park like 120k in bank... 

 

They deserve to lose those money la. 

your comments are very uncalled for. nobody deserve to lose money.

 

not everyone has the risk appetite to do investment. and you dun always make money. in the 2 examples above, the 120k is for the young couple’s needs. the 38yo guy has a special needs child.

 

and what is wrong with saving lots of money?

 

you may call people dumb and think it wont happen to you. but just imagine maybe you are in a half awake state, receive a sms that looks so legit from the same header that send you OTP, in a blur and half panic state, you just follow what’s written on the sms. these scammers prey on the psychology of people. 

[singalion]

On 1/10/2022 at 2:27 PM, lonelyglobe said:

I wonder how the scammer know which account got money? Hacked into bank's datebase? Insider info? Or generally sporean are very rich,  anyhow scam also got money. But if scammer come and scam me,  sorry leh, u realy suay until cannot suay,  the most you can get will not be more than $50 ha.... 

 

Beside bank scam, also got shopee job scam,  looks like scammers finally realised sporean generally are very rich even with covid. 

 

Simple as it is: They just try every bank. I received such messages for UOB, OCBC, City and even strange foreign banks....

These fraudsters just try their luck.

Same as those messages from SingPost with parcel stuck somewhere...

[Guest Blame the Digital]

Scammers are now very professional.  I feel for the victim.  Imagined all their hardwork and savings became zero overnight.   They are not foolish people, it was under stress when you see urgent bank messages that seems "authentic"     I blame it squarely on our government,  everything must use smartphone for payments, for scanning, act as token to access the bank...etc.   Traditional hard token gadget is still the best and safe proof.   I hope the victims can recover the money.

[Guest Guest]

On 1/10/2022 at 3:22 PM, singalion said:

 

 

Most banks would not come with any such of the example messages in an sms.

Banks usually don't sms or whatsapp with links to do something but just send a message without a link.

 

 

 

I looked back at some of the past legitimate sms sent by the banks, some actually do contain links. I guess after this incident, they will stop doing so.

 

People let their guard down cos the scam msgs appear together with the usual sms history. 
And the unfortunate thing is when ocbc sent out notification informing the victims of abnormal transactions, the msgs got intercepted and diverted away by the scammers. 

[cutejack]

It's very bad to scam others for money. Karma will strike. Their children will become prostitutes to pay the pimp instead. 

[Guest dumbo]

On 1/10/2022 at 3:27 PM, Guest Dun be an ass said:

your comments are very uncalled for. nobody deserve to lose money.

 

not everyone has the risk appetite to do investment. and you dun always make money. in the 2 examples above, the 120k is for the young couple’s needs. the 38yo guy has a special needs child.

 

and what is wrong with saving lots of money?

 

you may call people dumb and think it wont happen to you. but just imagine maybe you are in a half awake state, receive a sms that looks so legit from the same header that send you OTP, in a blur and half panic state, you just follow what’s written on the sms. these scammers prey on the psychology of people. 

 

dumb is dumb la. 

also do u use fingerprint authentication for ur bank apps?

 

i teach u how ... u go to ur spouse / family / friend (when they asleep) gently put their finger on their phone to unlock the phone and bank app.. (when they still asleep)

and u have access to all their bank information...

 

ITS TAT EASY.

 

 

[lonelyglobe]

On 1/10/2022 at 4:03 PM, Guest Blame the Digital said:

Scammers are now very professional.  I feel for the victim.  Imagined all their hardwork and savings became zero overnight.   They are not foolish people, it was under stress when you see urgent bank messages that seems "authentic"     I blame it squarely on our government,  everything must use smartphone for payments, for scanning, act as token to access the bank...etc.   Traditional hard token gadget is still the best and safe proof.   I hope the victims can recover the money.

I dont think the bank will be so kind to compensate them. We dont have to listen to govt, traditional way of queueing at the bank is still the best, afterall the whole physical bank cannot be a fake one right?

 

I still use cash for small paymemt and credit card to get cashback. Using phone payment at hawker centre does not give me any benefits,  why do i need to help govt to prevent tax evasion from the hawkers? 

[Guest Tree]

On 1/10/2022 at 3:56 PM, Guest Schedenfreude said:

Singapore is a target cos the country has first world infrastructure but its people have 3rd world mindset. Very easy to infiltrate and abuse for monetary gains.

 

Singaporeans are conditioned to be uncritical and gullible sheeps by our failed education system. As long as the source claims to be "legitimate", many will stop using their brains and ignore previous warning signs. They trust the authorities more than their own guts.

 

Little do they know that is their Achilles heel.

 

 

This is quite spot-on.

 

 

[Guest Tomato]

On 1/10/2022 at 8:41 PM, Guest Tree said:

 

This is quite spot-on.

 

 

 

Why are you responding to yourself?

[Guest Guest]

Seems like this is a planned deliberate aggressive attack targeting OCBC customers, very unfortunate.

 

1) Attack during year end festive period - where bank staff are mostly on leave and staff strength is lower than usual, hence bank is slower to react and unable to swing into actions immediately.

 

2) I read that in some cases, the scammers will purposely send you 'harmless' messages like informing your account has error and then follow up with 'Pls ignore the previous sms as we are going through a system upgrade etc'. After a while, they will send the actual scam sms. Some people would have let their guard down by then, especially when all these messages appear in the same SMS thread used by the bank.

 

They also use fear tactics to induce people to act fast.

 

The scary thing is the scammers don't even have to hack the bank's system, what they have done is just to mind f**k people.

[Guest Fool]

On 1/10/2022 at 10:38 PM, Guest Guest said:

Seems like this is a planned deliberate aggressive attack targeting OCBC customers, very unfortunate.

 

1) Attack during year end festive period - where bank staff are mostly on leave and staff strength is lower than usual, hence bank is slower to react and unable to swing into actions immediately.

 

2) I read that in some cases, the scammers will purposely send you 'harmless' messages like informing your account has error and then follow up with 'Pls ignore the previous sms as we are going through a system upgrade etc'. After a while, they will send the actual scam sms. Some people would have let their guard down by then, especially when all these messages appear in the same SMS thread used by the bank.

 

They also use fear tactics to induce people to act fast.

 

The scary thing is the scammers don't even have to hack the bank's system, what they have done is just to mind f**k people.

 

Please la phishing so common. Only fools fall for it. 

[Guest Schedenfreude]

On 1/10/2022 at 9:52 PM, Guest Tomato said:

 

Why are you responding to yourself?

Err except that wasn't me?

[Guest Fatty]

On 1/10/2022 at 12:12 PM, Guest Guest said:

Very good .A big lesson for the young generation to believe internet banking and put too much trust in it.Even the bank officer always say internet banking is always safe .Imagine once u lost your phone all your account can be transfer.

Ok boomer

[auscent]

The banks should have done more to prevent such fraud in an arms race.

[kidster]

Hackers have up their game. They are definitely way above the so-called pros. These are no ordinary scammers.

 

As a consumer, changing to physical token is the most immediate and pragmatic solution for now.

 

OTP can now be highjacked without your knowledge because the OTPs won't reach your number but they are already in the hands of the hackers and used to access your accounts.

 

With OTP, credit limits can be raised, payee can be added instantly. Your fate is sealed.

 

There are many other apps that send OTP. Eg. Grab. Be careful of those e-wallet apps.

[kidster]

On 1/10/2022 at 11:25 AM, Guest Guest said:

SINGAPORE - It took a man and his wife five years to save about $120,000, but in just 30 minutes, scammers using a fake text message stole the money they had kept in their OCBC Bank joint savings account.

 

 

On 1/10/2022 at 11:25 AM, Guest Guest said:

A 38-year-old software engineer who fell prey to the same scam on Dec 28 told ST that he lost about $250,000 he had been saving since 2010.

 

 

 

I read from another article this young couple is only in their late 20s.

 

Very curious what exactly they do for a living. Totally impressed with their saving ability. Most people know how to earn but don't know how to save.  

 

[Guest Ez as123]

On 1/16/2022 at 2:14 AM, kidster said:

 

 

I read from another article this young couple is only in their late 20s.

 

Very curious what exactly they do for a living. Totally impressed with their saving ability. Most people know how to earn but don't know how to save.  

 

 250k over 12 years since 2010. Without considering interest is about 1.7k savings per month. If considered interests, maybe the guy aim to save 1.5k every month? 

 

Then when you have bonus. Also save. 

 

But the dumb thing is the guy didn't invest this savings. You should only really have 3 to 6 months emergency funds. 

 

Savings loses value due to cash inflation. 

 

That's why CPF is so great. When you start work in 2010 and feel like gahmen is taking away your hard earn money.... 

 

But when you are only 38 about 10 years later. You forgot about CPF cause it just happen naturally and realised that you have accumulated wealth. 

 

Alot of the older gen is taught to "save for retirement" so they save. 

 

Alot of the new millenials are taught to "invest for retirement" so they invest. And investing is so easy now. 

 

Back then even if you have money you don't know what to do. Need min amount etc. 

 

Now if you wanna invest 1k you also can. 

 

Its also very easy. Don't spend more than you earn. Don't go into debt. Ever. When you have min bills and expenses to pay per month. You have alot of savings. Don't upgrade phone every year. 

 

Don't sign up for those huge data plans. Sim card is good enough. Always find location with WiFis. 

 

Don't buy drinks from kopitiam. 1.5 for a ice tea when you can make it your own for free using company's hot water. Sugar and tea packet. 

 

Or best just drink plain water. 

Don't eat out. Restaurant are overcharged. 

 

Don't order grab food. Paying 3 dollars for delivery service is basically a meal by itself. Don't buy new clothes.

 

Live minimalistic. No debt. Lots of savings. 

You also can do it. 

 

First thing you need to do is perform plastic surgery on your credit card 

[Guest Guest]

Don't  even need to have credit card use debit card.Credit card charge interest very high .Ez123 some of the thing u calculate wrongly.

[Guest Guest]

I heard one bowl of Tai Wah bak chor mee can cost $9 … 😳😱!

 

I always see many people waiting for their queue numbers to be called outside ok bubble tea shops ….