'I have to remit money to my family': Migrant worker loses $3,400 after falling for fake police scam

He received a call from a 'police officer', but ended up losing more than a month's salary. 

Das, a migrant worker from India, told Shin Min Daily News that he lost $3,400 after falling victim to a scam on Feb 25. 

The 31-year-old has been working in Singapore as a serviceman for an electronic lock company for four years. 

"That afternoon, I received a video call from a person dressed in police uniform," Das said.

"He claimed to be from the Singapore Police Force and told me that many people have been experiencing issues with bank transfers recently. 

"Hence, he needed to verify details from my bank account and passport to make sure that there were no issues with my bank account." 

Das told the Chinese evening daily that he felt that something was amiss during the phone call, and asked the other party several times if he was really a police officer. 

"He showed me his 'police identification' and kept insisting that he had to check if there were any issues with my bank account. 

"I fell for his words and I ended up giving him my information," the migrant worker said. 

Shortly after getting off the phone with the fake police officer, Das received some emails from his bank alerting him about some unauthorised transactions. 

"The first transaction was $1,400, followed by another $1,900 and another $100, which brings the total amount to $3,400," he said.

Das, who earns $2,900 a month, added: "This is all my hard-earned money.

"I have to remit money to my family in India every month, and also pay rent. If I can't get the money back, I'll be short on cash next month after paying my rent." 

Unable to contact the scammer after the incident, Das said he had to make a police report. 

Das' employer, My Digital Lock, took to their Facebook page on Feb 26 to warn their followers about the scam. 

The owner of My Digital Lock, surnamed Zheng, told Shin Min that that Das only informed him about the incident after he lost the money. 

"Das is a foreigner, perhaps he was scared when talking to the 'police officer' and didn't want to disobey instructions," said the 34-year-old. 

If his employee is unable to recover the sum, Zheng said that he would try to help.

"After all, he left his hometown to make a living here," he said. 

In response to Shin Min's queries, the police confirmed that they received a report and are currently investigating the matter. 

READ ALSO: 'They seemed very kind': Retired cleaner nearly scammed out of about $160k by 'police officers'

claudiatan@asiaone.com