‘Beware of DBS scam:’ netizen shares screenshots of authentic-looking phishing website

Singapore — A member of the public took to social media to warn others of an ongoing phishing scam pretending to be the Development Bank of Singapore Limited (DBS), including a website that looks like the real one.

“Beware of this DBS scam!” said Caleb Cheah on Facebook page Complaint Singapore on Monday (Aug 1).

“Nearly got duped since the genuine DBS had sent me a message despite not adding any payees.”

He attached a photo of an SMS from “DBS” indicating a new payee had been added to his account. There was a link attached for users to verify.

Mr Cheah included a photo of the fake website following the link.

It looks almost similar to the real DBS website, which Mr Cheah also attached for reference.

Members from the online community thanked the netizen for sharing the information.

“Nowadays, don’t know what to believe,” said Facebook user Alex Hay.

“I scrutinised very carefully but cannot but see any tell-tale sign that this is a scam site….really looks legit..omg,” said Facebook user Claudia Li.

Others advised avoiding accessing internet banking through the link attached from an SMS and only through the official banking app.

Netizens noted that in such phishing scams, fraudsters masquerade as DBS by sending a fraudulent SMS using a spoof SMS alpha tag “DBS.”

“This SMS causes your phone to place both phishing messages and legitimate messages in the same conversation thread,” said Facebook user Dex Hoe. “Please take note and call your bank when in doubt!” he added.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) announced on Jul 10 that spoofed SMS messages targeting bank customers is a new variant of phishing scams.

There were 374 cases reported, resulting in losses totalling about S$1.07 million between Jan and May 2021.

“As the scammers had spoofed the bank’s SMS accounts, the scammers’ message might appear in the same SMS conversation thread as a bona fide SMS message from the bank,” said the police.

SPF included steps for members of the public to avoid having their bank accounts compromised.

1. Do not click on URL links or call the numbers provided in unsolicited text messages;
2. Always verify the authenticity of the information with the official website or sources;
3. Never disclose your personal or Internet banking details and OTP to anyone. Bank staff or government officials will never request your internet banking login details and OTPs over the phone.
4. Report any fraudulent credit/debit card charges to your bank and cancel your card immediately.

Those with information related to such scams can call the police hotline at 800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness

/TISG

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