Below is an warning email from a friend about the recent phone scams. It's really widespread now but the surprising thing is that there are still people falling for it, despite the media publicity it is now having.
Anyway, I can guarantee the phone scams are definitely going around. It was attempted on quite a number of my friends before. Supreme Court, Lucky Draw... you name it, they have it. Maybe they might start trying to act as your long lost dad or what. -_-" You never know what these people will do to cheat people of their honest earnings.
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About noon time, there is an incoming call to my office direct line. When I pick up the call, it was a voice recorded message that said, 'You have a message from the Supreme Court. Press 9 to listen to the message.' I pressed 9 and it was transferred to an operator that answered by saying, 'Supreme Court reception, can I help you?'
I told her I received a voice message from Supreme Court telling me to press 9 to listen to that message. She proceeds to ask me for my name and I/C number. So I told her and it sounded like as it she is keying in and paused a while and told me I had a notice from Supreme Court with a charge of working with 'Ah long' (Illegal Loan sharks) to open 2 bank accounts for them and the Supreme Court had already sent me Court summon letter to me.
I was so shocked and told her I did not know any loan sharks and I will never do that and I did not receive any letter from Court at all. She told me for that I'm one of the person who is involved in this illegal act and if I want to verify my case, she would get the CID police in charge of this case to call me.
In less than a few minutes, I received a call from someone who claimed to be a CID officer looking for me. I answered him I am the person he's looking for. He told me that on such a date, the police had cracked down and napped a 'ah long' (Illegal Loan Sharks) and in his house, they found a name list containing several bank accounts open by a group of people and I happen to be one of them.
I was so shocked and told him that I never would do such a thing and I do not know any ah long or loan sharks at all. He then challenge me and told me, 'do you want to see the evident we got?' I told him, 'Yes I would like to come down to your police office to see it because I did not do that.' I then asked him to give me the address, which department he is from and his name so that I can go down to see him.
He gave me his name is Officer Khoo Boon Hui at Police HQ. CID Tower. Blk C, level 5. His office number is 6435 0000. However he quickly change the subject and ask me a few questions to pretend to be investigating me. He asked me have I lost my I/C, Bank account book? I answered No. He then asked me did I let anyone photocopied my I/C or Bank account book? I thought for a while and answered him I did a few months back at DBS Bank when I thought of opening a Investment Account.
He then told me that it could be due to corruption, the bank officer may have sold my data to the Ah long (loan shark) in return for some cash. He told me since from his investigation he assume I'm innocent and one of those whose I/C and bank data the ah long (loan shark) obtained from corrupt bank officers to make false ID and bank document to open bank account, he would fax my case to a Supreme Court office to further investigate and present my case before the Judge.
As such there is no need to go down to see him at the police HQ he said. He told me he will get the Supreme Court officer in charge to call me and further arrange how she can help me to plead with the Judge together with those innocent parties that had been framed. From the voice of that man officer who talked to me, I can tell his speaking accents sound like from China. My mind was so confused and troubled after hearing him talked to me all these things I did not question that at the moment.
In a while time, a lady called me on my mobile phone saying the 'CID' who had earlier on investigated me had called her and told her about my case. She would need me to cooperate with her in further investigation. She told me that she would need to begin to do a series of questions she need me to answer honestly. All my conversation with her will be recorded as Court evident. It's so professionally done that you think you're really going through a investigation answering those questions like did you disclose any of your bank information, documents, ID to anyone? Did you loss your passport, ID, bank book, credit card?¡
At the end of the series of questions, she told me that they are working together with international police to crack down these illegal ah long loan sharks organization that go around corrupt bank officers to sell their customer's bank information, photo copied ID document to do fake IDs, passports, and open bank accounts for them. She told me that right now just because I said I'm innocent it doesn't prove anything.
She need me to do one last thing. She asked me how many bank account do I have and how much money I have in my bank account. She said she need me to cooperate with them to check my bank account to see if there's any activities transactions that are unusual. She need me to go to Bankok Bank at Cecil street to TT my bank account money to this 'International Police' account to monitor and protect my money for me as my bank account is no longer saved as anytime it could be frozen.
If I am really innocent and has nothing to do with any ah long organization, I would cooperate with them to help them catch any party that is using my account to wash black money for them. If I don't cooperate with them to TT my money then it is clear to them that I have something to do with ah long organization and she shall turn me over to the Judge straight away to pled me guilty and sentence me.
It was under so much confusion and fear that they succeed to con people to TT money to this unknown 'International police officer' said to be someone who will monitor any suspicious transactions, dealing and to save guard and protect the victim's money. She assured me that if after the investigation is over about 2 hours later, after they checked my account and found nothing unusual and no black money, that international police officer will contact me and will TT the money back into my bank account.
I was really confused and when I kept asking her for any black and white to verify her identity to really make sure she is a real officer from Supreme Court that she told me her name is officer Hong Mui Ying and I can reach her at this Supreme Court telephone number: 63381034. She told me not to hang up and not to tell anybody about what I'm about to do so that it will not mess up their investigation process. She instructs me to go to 108 Cecil Street, BangKok Bank to TT the money. She told me to talk to her when I arrived at BangKok Bank then she would disclose to me the details of the International Police to whom I am to TT my money to.
The following is the details she gave me to TT my bank money to when I arrived at Bangkok Bank: -
Name of person receiving the money: MOORDOO JAESH
Account No: 398-073768-2
Address: MAESAI
I almost TT one thousand dollars to this account she gave me to TT my money to. But while I was at the counter, something on the inside of me tells me, 'how could you simply believe these things she talked to you about? How do you know if she really is a Supreme Court officer? You don't even know who this person she told you to TT your money to. What if this is a cheat and once you TT your money over to this unknown person, you get cheated of your money?'
So I withhold what I was about to do at that moment and started to talk to this 'Supreme Court officer' again on the phone. I asked her if I can go down to Supreme Court and look for her to verify her identity also with Supreme Court too. She told me she would be very busy as she is handling a lot of such cases and may not have time to see me. She kept telling me to cooperate with her if I'm really innocent and should let them check my money which makes no sense to me.
Finally I said to her, 'I really want to go down to Supreme Court to verify your identity and I don't mind waiting for you at the Supreme Court. Should you be busy, I'll wait for you at Supreme Court and also want to check with the officer at Supreme Court too if you really are an Officer who work there.' She then said, 'ok, you may come down to Supreme Court and look for me.'
After I put down the phone, I went straight to Supreme Court to look for her. To my surprise, when I was there at Supreme Court reception counter to ask for this lady officer, the receptionist told me that there isn't any such lady officer in Supreme Court and I'm not the only person who had came down to look for or called to look for these lady officer. Then the receptionist took out a recent newspaper and showed me that recently a man was cheated of $10,000 also received such call claiming to be officer from Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court receptionist then asked me for my name and IC number when I was there at Supreme Court reception counter to check if there are any real court case or charges I have. So I gave him my IC number and Name. After searching through the system, he told me that he cannot find any charges or court case with me. It was then I realized that I have been conned by those 3 people who had impersonated to be Supreme Court staff and CID.
Then the receptionist told me that it is better for me to go down to a police station to do a police report on this and I went down to Kreta Ayer NPP to made a police report on the same day 24/10/2007. I hope the police would quickly catch these evil cheaters out there trying to cheat people of their money. The police officer at Kreta Ayer NPP also told me I'm not the only victim of such case. He told me I can go and read about this at - http://www.spf.gov.sg/mic/2007/071018_supcourtphonescam.htm
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Hmm... If there was heaven and hell, I sure know where these swindlers are going.
Basic rule of thumb: If it's too good to be true, it's probably not. *Verify verify verify
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