[2025 Scam Alert] New WeChat/Alipay Scam Outbreak in Singapore! Experts Break Down 5 Major Tactics to Protect Your Hard-Earned Money

To all friends on the investment journey, the market has been volatile recently, but what requires more vigilance than the market are the financial scams lurking in the shadows. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) recently issued a rare joint warning, exposing a highly targeted new scamming technique. Fraud syndicates are impersonating platforms like WeChat, UnionPay, and Alipay, posing a serious threat to the public’s financial security. Since the beginning of 2025, these WeChat and Alipay scams have victimized at least 678 individuals, with total losses amounting to a staggering S$17.4 million (approximately NT$400 million). In this article, I will walk you through the entire script of this phone scam, teaching you how to identify it and protect your hard-earned money.

Singapore’s Latest Scam Tactic: The Fake Customer Service “Cancel Subscription” Trap

The core of this scam is to exploit people’s anxiety about automatic payments by setting a trap that seems reasonable but is full of pitfalls. Scammers are no longer casting a wide net but are carrying out more precise, “scripted” attacks with a tightly woven process that is hard to guard against.

Step 1: Unsolicited Call Claiming a Service is About to Auto-Debit

It all starts with a local phone call (usually beginning with “8” or with a “+65” country code). The caller will identify themselves as a “customer service representative” from WeChat, UnionPay, or Alipay, and inform you in a professional and urgent tone: “Sir/Madam, the insurance or VIP service you previously subscribed to is about to expire. If you do not cancel it today, the system will automatically deduct the payment from your bank account.” This line directly preys on the fear of unwarranted financial loss, instantly putting you in a defensive position.

Step 2: Shifting the Conversation to WhatsApp for Deeper Manipulation

When you express your desire to cancel the service, they will seamlessly guide you: “Okay, for your account’s security, we need to switch to WhatsApp to process this for you.” This is a crucial step in the impersonation scam. By moving the communication to WhatsApp, they can use a wider range of tools, such as sending forged documents, making video calls, or even asking you to share your screen, thereby subjecting you to deeper psychological manipulation.

Step 3: Demanding Personal Information and a Transfer to “Verify Identity”

On WhatsApp, they will ask for your ID number, bank account details, and other personal information, claiming it is “necessary for the cancellation verification process.” More dangerously, they will then ask you to make a small or large bank transfer, falsely stating that “this money is just to verify that your account is active and will be fully refunded immediately after the subscription is canceled.” Many victims let their guard down at this moment, thinking it’s just a temporary procedure, which ultimately leads to the irreversible loss of their funds.

How Scammers Build Trust: Unveiling 5 High-Pressure Psychological Tactics

To completely convince you that they are official personnel, these scam syndicates have prepared multiple scripts, using layers of psychological pressure to break down your defenses. Understanding these scam scripts is key to preventing this new type of fraud.

• Tactic 1: Forging Subscription Documents to Gain Initial Trust They will send a “Subscription Confirmation” or “Deduction Notice” that looks very official, sometimes even containing some of your personal information, to mislead you into thinking the document is legally binding.
• Tactic 2: Involving a Fake Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Officer If you show any hesitation, a second scammer will join the conversation, claiming to be an “officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.” They will tell you in a stern tone that your account is suspected of being involved in illegal activities like money laundering and that you need to “cooperate with the investigation,” instantly escalating the situation to a criminal level.
• Tactic 3: Making Video Calls in Fake Uniforms To enhance their authority, the fake “MAS officer” may even initiate a WhatsApp video call. On camera, they will be wearing a counterfeit blue uniform, with a background deliberately set up to look like an office, making you believe they are legitimate.
• Tactic 4: Issuing a Forged Court Order or Arrest Warrant This is the most devastating tactic. The scammer will send a “Court Order” or “Arrest Warrant” with your personal details printed on it, stamped with a fake MAS seal, threatening you with arrest if you do not immediately transfer money to cooperate with the investigation.
• Tactic 5: Using WhatsApp’s Screen Sharing Feature to Steal Information Throughout the process, they may guide you to use WhatsApp’s “Screen Sharing” feature, ostensibly to “guide you through the cancellation process.” In reality, they are watching in real-time as you enter your online banking passwords and SMS one-time passwords (OTPs) to directly empty your account. This is an extremely dangerous WhatsApp screen sharing scam.

How to Prevent Phone Scams: 6 Golden Rules from the Singapore Police

Facing the rampant rise of phone scams, we cannot rely on luck alone. Singaporean authorities have provided clear prevention guidelines. Here are the six golden rules I’ve compiled for everyone; please keep them in mind.

1. Rule 1: Be Wary of Overseas Calls Starting with “+” As soon as you see a “+” sign on the caller ID, it means the call is from overseas. No matter what the other party says, maintain the highest level of alertness.
2. Rule 2: The Caller Knowing Your Personal Info Doesn’t Make Them Credible Scam syndicates can obtain your name or ID number through various illegal channels. Do not easily trust their official identity just because they can state your personal information.
3. Rule 3: Never Disclose Sensitive Information or Make Transfers No government agency or financial institution will ever ask you for your online banking password or OTP over the phone or via instant messaging, nor will they ask you to make any form of “verification transfer.”
4. Rule 4: Refuse to Share Your Screen During Transactions Never share your mobile screen with anyone while operating online banking or any payment app. This is equivalent to handing over the keys to your digital wallet.
5. Rule 5: Identify Official Information Sources Remember, official SMS notifications from the Singapore government will only be sent from a “gov.sg” sender ID. Information from any other source could be a scam.
6. Rule 6: Understand the Real Enforcement Methods of MAS Officers Officials from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) do not wear uniforms and have no authority to issue arrest warrants. Anyone claiming to be a uniformed officer on WhatsApp and threatening to arrest you is 100% a scammer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What should I do if I have already transferred money to a scammer?

Please take the following three steps immediately: 1. Contact your bank right away to request a freeze on your account and report the fraudulent transaction. 2. Immediately file a report with your local police, providing all conversation records and proof of transfer. 3. Do not contact the scammer again to avoid being victimized a second time.

Will WeChat, Alipay, or UnionPay really call me to cancel a service?

No. Legitimate companies, especially large payment platforms, will communicate all notifications regarding subscriptions, fees, or cancellations through their official app’s message center or your registered email. They will never proactively call you, let alone guide you to a third-party platform like WhatsApp for operations.

How do scammers get my personal information?

Personal data can be leaked through many channels, such as from websites or application databases you’ve registered with that were hacked, or through other illegal data trading. Therefore, when you receive a call from a stranger who knows your personal details, you should be more vigilant, not less.

Conclusion: Stay Vigilant and Avoid the Threat of New Scam Tactics

In summary, the new scamming methods that have emerged combine psychology, technological tools, and cross-border crime, posing a significant challenge to the judgment of the general public. The best way to respond to any call claiming an “automatic deduction” is to “hang up immediately and verify independently.” You can personally open the official app or log in to the official website to check your subscription status. Please remember, your financial security is in your own hands. A little more suspicion can mean a lot less loss. Cashback Island will continue to track the latest financial scam dynamics for you. You can also follow our “Cashback Island Scam Alert” section to stay updated with anti-fraud knowledge and collectively guard against these endless Alipay scams and financial traps.