SPF Issues Warning on Surge in Phishing Scams Involving Usage Of Online Messaging Channels

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has issued a police advisory to alert the public to a surge in phishing scams involving online messaging and the OneMotoring platform or the Land Transport Authority (LTA). Since December 1, 2024, at least 17 cases have been reported, with total losses amounting to over $33,000.

In the phishing scams, victims receive text messages on their online messaging apps, purportedly from OneMotoring or LTA, alleging unpaid bills and creating a false sense of urgency by imposing a time limit for payment. These messages contain a malicious link. When victims click on the link, they are directed to a phishing website where they are prompted to enter their credit or debit card details, personal information, or other sensitive data. Victims often realize they have been scammed only after discovering unauthorized transactions on their cards.

The SPF has observed that more than half of these cases involve messages sent through online messaging platforms, such as Apple's iMessage or Android's Rich Communication Services (RCS). The scammers' messages appear alongside legitimate SMSes on victims' mobile devices, making them difficult to distinguish.

examples of these spoof messages sent out via iMessage and RCS provided by SPF

The SPF advises the public to be vigilant against messages from unknown contacts through a group chat on such messaging applications, even if they appear alongside legitimate SMSes in the same channel. Scammers can rename group chats to mimic legitimate Sender IDs used in SMSes, exploiting this flaw to impersonate legitimate entities such as OneMotoring or LTA, which are registered with the SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) implemented on January 31, 2023.