Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram for the latest stories and breaking news.

Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) recently posted a video of a phone call they received from a scammer claiming to work for their organisation

Uploaded on the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority Facebook page on Tuesday, 25 October, the video depicts one of their officers, ASP Kelvin Teo, being put on the call with the scammer.

The video started with Teo listening to an automated voice message that told him that his passport number was “incorrectly registered” and to press five to speak to customer service.

Teo proceeded to do exactly that and waited for “customer service” to assist him.

Image via Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (Facebook)

Teo was then connected to a scammer who was posing as an ICA officer and told him he was calling the ICA Immigration Bureau

Smiling knowingly at the camera, officer Teo proceeded to tell the fraudster the issues he was facing with his passport. The scammer then asked Teo for his name and, without missing a beat, the ICA officer gave him his alias, Dong Bee Lee.

Once he was given the fake name, the scammer allegedly began to check the system for Mr Dong’s name to find out what the issue was.

After a few seconds, the scammer told Teo that there was an ‘error’ in his passport information and that his passport was no longer valid and could no longer be used.

When asked what he should do to solve the issue, the scammer asked Teo for his identification card (IC) number to be used for “reactivation” purposes. However, Teo began to question the scammer, asking why ICA did not have his IC records in their system already.

Unable to answer Teo’s question, the trickster insisted that he needed Teo’s IC number and threatened to cancel his passport if Teo did not cooperate.

Image via Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (Facebook)

Unfazed by the scammer’s threats, Teo continued the charade just a bit longer and asked the scammer for his office address so he could meet the fake ICA officer in person

When the scammer told Teo that his office was at ICA headquarters (HQ), Teo then revealed himself as an ICA officer who also worked at the HQ office and told the scammer what he was doing was not the standard practice of the job.

“We will never ask for personal details. That is why I don’t believe you!” Teo said.

The scammer immediately ended the call after hearing this.

The video ended with Teo making a public service announcement, warning the public about scam calls of similar nature. He warned Singaporeans not to pick up any suspicious calls from individuals claiming to be immigration authorities and asking for personal or financial details.

Image via Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (Facebook)

Telltale signs of a scam.
Image via Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (Facebook)

You can watch the full video below:

In July, a teacher from Perak gave a scammer a taste of his own medicine:

In 2020, another Malaysian annoyed a scammer for an hour by pretending to be a retiree, living alone:

Financial scams are on the rise in Malaysia.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on what you should do if you are a victim of a scam: