Police have noted a resurgence of phone scams involving the kidnap ruse and impersonation of government officials and would like to advise members of the public to remain vigilant against such scams.

In the "kidnap scam”, the scammers trick their victims into transferring money into a bank account by claiming that their next-of-kin had been kidnapped and would be harmed if money was not transferred to the caller's bank account.

In the "impersonation scam", the scammers impersonate Police officers or staff of the Supreme Court and ask the victims to transfer money into bank accounts to exonerate themselves from criminal cases or court hearings A new method used by these scammers has seen genuine telephone numbers of a Police department or that of the Supreme Court appearing in the caller ID of the victim's phones, although no calls were made from the Police or Supreme Court. Examples of official numbers used by the scammers include: 63381034 (Supreme Court Enquiry Hotline), 64350000 ( CID Hotline) and 999 (Police).

Police would like to remind the public that while it is normal during the course of Police work for investigators to inform members of the public over the phone on Court dates and appointments at the Police station for Police statements, Police will never ask for money to be deposited into a bank account.

The public is advised to be wary when receiving such phone calls. Cheating scams may take different forms but these scams are all designed to cheat victims into parting with their money. When in doubt, the public should verify the caller's identity with the agency or organisation the caller claims to be from, although the caller ID appears to belong to the agency or organisation in question. Recipients of "kidnap scam" phone calls should remain calm and check on the whereabouts of the "kidnapped" person. For instance, they can call the "kidnapped person", his friends or other relatives to ascertain his safety.

Members of the public are advised not to transfer any money to unknown persons through banks or remittance agencies in such situations. More information on phone scams and the crime prevention measures can be found at www.spf.gov.sg and www.cad.gov.sg.