A fake website has been gathering personal information from Singaporean workers applying for jobs and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) warned against such websites. The slew of fake sites has been rising in the city-state over the past months.
According to the Straits Times, the MOM said on its Facebook page on Tuesday that the fake website is (http://eponlinemom-sg.com). The ministry said applicants should be wary of the said site as it is pretending to be an official government portal.
The said website is asking for personal information from users if they want to get an update about the status of their employment applications. The site also offers a link to another fake government website.
The ministry said applicants should avoid websites that are not listed on the official website and social media profiles of government units. The warnings came amid increasing reports of online scams using the government's name.
Last week, 115 people were investigated by Singaporean authorities over scams that involved over S$253,000. According to Channel News Asia, 51 women and 64 men aged as young as 14 and as old as 52 were reported to have been involved in more 214 online scam cases.
Singaporean police advised the general public to be careful with offers they find online. They said consumers should avoid making a purchase just because they find good reviews about a particular product.
Furthermore, they said consumers should be cautious before making transactions with people selling products at very low prices or those that "sound too good to be true."
Another recent trend in online scamming is the scammers convincing unknowing people to allow their bank accounts or mobile lines to be used for transactions. Police said the public should reject any request for their accounts to be used to avoid being tagged as an accomplice.
Before last week's incident, some commuters alerted SBS Transit of a message that has been spreading regarding prizes the ComfortDelGro bus and train operator supposedly provides for commuting parties.
According to Asia One, SBS Transit has since clarified that the messages do not originate from the operator. The company has also warned commuters to never click the link provided in the scam messages.
The message in question that train riders received stated that they won a prize from SBS Transit. Winning parties need to visit a link provided in the message. The links are used to snare consumers for various online transactions.
Singapore has been experiencing an influx in online scams. The government said it will continue to monitor fake websites and internet activities that display scam-related behavior.
