At least $1.4 million lost to scams involving fake social media ads offering cheap goods since July

SINGAPORE – At least 246 people have fallen victim to phishing scams involving fraudulent social media advertisements since July, losing at least $1.4 million after being lured by deals for cheap food, fashion and household products.

In a statement on Oct 2, the police said victims encountered the advertisements, which offered affordable products, on social media.

Victims who clicked on the advertisements were redirected to phishing websites and were asked to enter their card details and/or i-banking credentials.

Some victims also provided one-time passwords (OTPs) or authorised digital tokens to complete the transactions.

They realised that they had been scammed only after unauthorised transactions were made to their card or bank accounts.

The police said there has been a surge in such cases, and advised the public to follow the “ACT” framework – Add security features, Check for signs, and Tell the authorities and others about scams.

The public can also visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the 24-hour ScamShield Helpline at 1799 for more information on scams.

In its mid-year scam statistics, the police said $410.6 million was lost to scams in the first six months of 2026, a fall from the $500.2 million lost during the same period in 2025.

The number of scam cases fell by around 14 per cent from 19,644 cases in the first half of 2025 to 16,821 during the same period in 2026.

Singapore has lost more than $4 billion to scams since 2019.