Police warn of Harvey Norman impersonation scam, victims lost over $4.8 million since January

Members of the public should be wary of scams involving fraudsters impersonating Harvey Norman employees.

In an advisory issued on Monday night (Sept 21), police said there has been a surge in such cases, with at least 119 reports lodged since January this year and losses amounting to more than $4.8 million.

In these cases, victims received unsolicited calls from scammers claiming to be Harvey Norman employees.

The victims were told by the “employees” that they had purchased a television set or had a pending delivery requiring confirmation.

Modus operandi: The same red flags

When the victims denied making the purchase, the scammers would claim that the victims' personal details had been misused and that further investigations were required.

Victims were then transferred to another scammer impersonating a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) officer, who would accuse them of their involvement in criminal activities such as money laundering.

The victims were then asked to transfer money to a "safe account" to facilitate supposed "investigations".

Police said some victims were also asked to withdraw cash, purchase gold bars, or bring along their valuables, such as jewellery or luxury watches, to hand over to unknown individuals for “investigation purposes”.

They were assured that their money and valuables would be returned to them once these "investigations" were completed.

Victims would only realise that they had been scammed after making multiple money transfers without receiving the promised refunds.

Protect yourself against these red flags

While scammers are known to apply pressurising tactics, those who receive such calls are advised to stay calm and spot these signs:

Asking for cash, gold or luxury watches to be handed over.

Asking for banking login details.

Installing mobile apps from unverified app stores.

Transferring calls to the police or other government officials.

Those who find themselves in such situations should stop acceding to requests of scammers and seek advice from the authorities, family members or friends.

If in doubt, members of the public can call the 24/7 ScamShield hotline at 1799 for assistance.

公众应警惕诈骗分子冒充哈维诺曼员工实施的骗局。

警方在周一晚间（9 月 21 日）发布的一份公告中表示，此类案件激增，自今年 1 月以来至少已接到 119 起报案，损失超过 480 万美元。

在这些案例中，受害者接到了冒充 Harvey Norman 员工的诈骗电话。

受害者被“员工”告知，他们购买了一台电视机或有待交付的商品需要确认。

作案手法：同样的危险信号

当受害者否认进行过购买时，诈骗者会声称受害者的个人信息被滥用，需要进行进一步调查。

受害者随后被转交给另一名冒充新加坡金融管理局 (MAS) 官员的骗子，该骗子会指控他们参与洗钱等犯罪活动。

随后，受害者被要求将钱款转入一个“安全账户”，以配合所谓的“调查”。

警方表示，一些受害者还被要求提取现金、购买金条，或携带珠宝、名表等贵重物品，交给身份不明的人以“调查目的”。

他们被告知，一旦这些“调查”结束，他们的钱财和贵重物品就会归还给他们。

受害者往往在多次转账后仍未收到承诺的退款，才会意识到自己被骗了。

警惕这些危险信号

虽然诈骗分子惯用施压手段，但接到此类电话的人应保持冷静，并注意以下迹象：

要求交出现金、黄金或名贵手表。

要求提供银行登录信息。

从未经认证的应用商店安装移动应用。

将电话转接给警察或其他政府官员。

如果遇到这种情况，应该停止满足诈骗者的要求，并向有关部门、家人或朋友寻求建议。

如有疑问，公众可拨打 24/7 ScamShield 热线 1799 寻求帮助。