Police warn of iMessage delivery phishing scams after victims lose over $31k since Oct 31, Singapore News - AsiaOne.com
Singapore police have warned about phishing scams conducted via Apple iMessage that have resulted in $31,000 in losses since October 31.
The police have warned against phishing scams conducted via Apple iMessage. In a news release on Saturday (Nov 14), they said scam messages impersonating courier delivery services have led to the loss of $31,000 since Oct 31.
In this scam variant, the scammers send "unsolicited iMessages claiming that there are issues with victims' parcel deliveries, such as incomplete delivery information". They have also been known to impersonate SingHealth polyclinics, claiming that the receiver has outstanding outpatient bills to pay.
"Regardless of the entity impersonated, the modus operandi remains the same," the police continued. "The messages contain phishing links directing recipients to fraudulent websites to obtain their personal, banking or credit card information, or to make payment."
Security Measures
Members of the public can add the ScamShield app and set up security features, including enabling two-factor authentication and multifactor authentication on banking apps and e-wallets. They can also use the Money Lock features of their banks that prevent a portion of their money from being transferred out digitally.
People should check the legitimacy of courier-related messages and links using the ScamShield app or through the official website of the courier service. They should verify "directly with the courier using contact details obtained from official sources before providing any information or making payment".
If they believe they have fallen victim to a scam, they should contact their bank to report and block fraudulent transactions and make a police report.
iPhone Protection
The police advised updating iMessage settings by ensuring the "filter unknown senders" and "filter spam" options are selected, and to report suspicious messages using the in-app reporting functions on iMessage. iPhone users should also update their phone to the latest software version to "benefit from enhanced protections against spam and scam messages".
Users in Singapore will already have "screen unknown senders" turned on by default, and links sent by unknown contacts in Messages will be disabled until the sender is added to their contacts or marked as know. "Messages detected as spam will also be routed to a dedicated spam folder without notifications," the police added.
Members of the public can also call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 to check if they are in doubt.
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