Singapore — The country’s  Ministry of Manpower issued a press statement on August 1, Thursday, warning the public about a fake website that purports to represent the ministry. Moreover, it contains a false claim that unwitting victims are entitled to an amount of money from the government.

The warning from MOM reads as follows:

“There is a fake MOM website – bit.ly/gov-sg (6uio.com/sg/#).

The same fake website is also circulating among mobile phones via text messages. Do not respond to the fake website or click on any links found within the text message.

Please use only the official MOM website at https://www.mom.gov.sg for all info and transactions on MOM matters. Here are tips on how to identify and report fake “MOM” websites, phone calls and emails.

We will continue to monitor for such fake websites and work to bring them down. We also remain committed to keeping the official MOM website unaffected and your data safe.”

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Upon visiting the fraudulent site, aside from MOM’s logo, there is a notice that says, “Those who worked between 1990 and 2019 have the right to withdraw from mom Singapour (sic). Check if your name is on the list of those who are entitled to withdraw these funds.”

Afterward, there are some links that individuals can click.

However, just upon opening the page of the site, there are already warnings from bit.ly. It reads: STOP – there might be a problem with the requested link

“The link you requested has been identified by bitly as being potentially problematic. This could be because a bitly user has reported a problem, a black-list service reported a problem, because the link has been shortened more than once, or because we have detected potentially malicious content. This may be a problem because:

  • Some URL-shorteners re-use their links, so bitly can’t guarantee the validity of this link.
  • Some URL-shorteners allow their links to be edited, so bitly can’t tell where this link will lead you.
  • Spam and malware is very often propagated by exploiting these loopholes, neither of which bitly allows for.

The link you requested may contain inappropriate content, or even spam or malicious code that could be downloaded to your computer without your consent, or may be a forgery or imitation of another website, designed to trick users into sharing personal or financial information.”

If you continue at your own risk, another warning page comes out.

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“Deceptive site ahead

Attackers on 6uio.com may trick you into doing something dangerous like installing software or revealing your personal information (for example, passwords, phone numbers, or credit cards).”

But if you choose to proceed anyway, the fake MOM website comes out.

Clicking the link could be potentially dangerous, as a user’s information could be hacked.

MOM encourages that anyone suspicious that the website they’ve come across is a fake MOM website, or if they receive emails or texts they suspect are scams should call the anti-scam helpline at 1800 722 6688.

MOM has only one official website https://www.mom.gov.sg.

At any rate, the misspelling of Singapore as ‘Singapour’ should have been a dead giveaway that the site was fake. /TISG

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