SINGAPORE – Beware of scammers posing as Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers or family members and friends asking for money.
In an advisory on June 10, ICA said that since January, it has been receiving reports from the public regarding the two scam variants.
In the first variant, scammers pose as ICA officers on phone or video calls.
These scammers would use the ICA crest as their profile picture or wear attire resembling ICA’s uniforms during video calls to appear legitimate, the authority said.
“ICA would like to emphasise that these calls are not from ICA,” it added.
In the second variant, scammers pretend to be family members, friends or acquaintances and would falsely claim that the individual has been detained by ICA.
The scammers may provide forged documents with the ICA crest or fake signatures allegedly from officers to support their claims, said the authority.
ICA officials will never ask for bank login details or the installation of mobile apps from unofficial app stores, it added.
ICA officials will also never request fine or fee payments via bank transfer or request payment to release people allegedly detained by the authorities.
Officials calling from ICA will also not transfer calls to the police, it said.
It advised the public against transferring money to unknown people whose identities have not been verified.
Scams in Singapore have cost victims more than $4 billion since 2019 . In 2025, there were 37,308 cases, with $913.1 million lost.
The number of government official impersonation scam cases more than doubled from 1,504 in 2024, to 3,363 in 2025. It was the fifth-most common scam type in 2025.
Those who require help or wish to verify if a call is from ICA may contact the authority via its feedback form or speak with its call agents on 6391-6100.
Members of the public who suspect they have fallen victims to a scam should lodge a police report immediately, said ICA.
For more information on scams, the public may call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799 or visit scamshield.gov.sg
Read the full article at The Straits Times →
SG