SINGAPORE, June 10 — The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has warned members of the public about scammers posing as ICA officers or even as family members and friends to trick victims into transferring money, according to The Straits Times.
In an advisory on June 10, ICA said it has received multiple reports since January involving two main scam variants.
In the first, scammers pose as ICA officers through phone or video calls, often using the ICA crest as their profile picture or wearing uniforms during video calls to appear legitimate, the authority said.
“ICA would like to emphasise that these calls are not from ICA,” it reportedly said.
In the second variant, scammers impersonate family members, friends or acquaintances, falsely claiming that the victim or their loved ones have been detained by ICA.
The authority said these scammers may also produce forged documents featuring the ICA crest or fake officer signatures to support their claims.
ICA stressed that its officers will never request bank login details, ask for transfers via bank accounts, or demand payments to release individuals allegedly detained.
Scams in Singapore have cost victims more than S$4 billion since 2019, with 37,308 cases reported in 2025 alone, resulting in losses of S$913.1 million.
The Straits Times reported that government impersonation scams more than doubled from 1,504 cases in 2024 to 3,363 in 2025, making it the fifth most common scam type last year.
Those seeking clarification can contact ICA via its official feedback form or call 6391-6100.
Members of the public who suspect they have been scammed are urged to lodge a police report immediately. For more information, they may also contact the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 or visit scamshield.gov.sg.
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