The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) would like to alert the public of scam calls, where the scammers would claim to be ICA officers. We have seen an increasing number of such scam calls.

2.          In these cases, members of the public reported receiving unsolicited phone calls from unknown numbers with the “+” prefix. Upon answering these calls, the callers would identify themselves as ICA officers and claim that the call recipient faced issues with their passport/identity card/citizenship applications and/or parcels imported from overseas. In other cases, callers claimed that the call recipient’s phone numbers were being used overseas for fraudulent activities. The callers would usually converse in English or Mandarin.

3.          ICA would like to clarify that such calls were not made by officers from ICA or any other government agencies. Phone calls with a ‘+’ prefix indicate that the calls originate from overseas, and ICA officers do not call from overseas or obtain banking credentials through phone calls. When calls are made by ICA, the officer would make references to a specific application reference number.

4.          Members of the public are advised to take the following precautions when they receive such scam calls:

• Add - Add security features such as the ScamShield app to protect yourself from scam calls.

• Check - Contact ICA’s official hotline at 6391-6100 to verify the authenticity of the calls. Before giving banking credentials over the telephone, check with authorised sources because the government agencies will never ask you for your banking credentials, OTP or transfer of money over the telephone or through automated voice machines. Do not provide your personal information such as name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account or credit card details to suspicious or unknown parties.

• Tell - Tell ICA about the scam by contacting ICA’s official hotline. If you had disclosed your banking details, report this to your bank immediately. Also, tell your family and friends about this scam so they do not fall for it.

5.          ICA takes a serious view of such scam calls as it undermines public trust in ICA. If you have information relating to such scams or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at https://www.police.gov.sg/iwitness or via the ScamShield app. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.

6.          For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688.

IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
28 JULY 2023