Victim loses at least $4.9m in scam involving deepfakes of PM Wong, government officials

SINGAPORE – A person lost at least $4.9 million after falling for a scam involving the impersonation of senior government officials, as the police warned the public to be careful of such ruses.

In this particular case, the victim was invited to a Zoom video conference call that appeared to involve Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, along with other local and overseas government officials, the police said in an advisory on May 14.

The appearances of PM Wong and the officials were created using deepfake artificial intelligence technology.

The police warned that invitations to virtual meetings with high-profile figures – including senior government officials such as Secretary to the Cabinet Wong Hong Kuan – could be part of such scams.

The scammers appear to target business professionals who have had prior interactions with government officials, police added.

The ruse typically begins with fraudsters impersonating senior government officials and informing victims that they are to attend a virtual meeting with the President, ministers and other government officials.

Victims would be asked to provide an e-mail address to receive a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for the meeting. The scammers would also tell the victims to endorse the NDA and furnish a copy of their identification cards.

In the case involving the victim who lost at least $4.9 million, the victim received a WhatsApp message with a profile photo of Mr Wong Hong Kuan, telling him to attend a meeting with PM Wong.

The victim also received an e-mail from the e-mail address WongHongKuan.secretarycabinet @proton.me, purportedly sent by Mr Wong Hong Kuan, requesting urgent funding assistance relating to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The e-mail included what appeared to be an official government-issued letter of guarantee bearing PM Wong’s signature, stating that the funds would be reimbursed by the Singapore Government within 15 business days.

The victim was also asked to sign an NDA, and he did so.

The victim was then invited to the Zoom conference call that appeared to involve PM Wong and other officials.

After the meeting, the victim was contacted via WhatsApp and he then transferred the money through a series of transactions to a corporate bank account supplied by the scammers.

He later felt something was amiss and contacted Mr Wong Hong Kuan, at which point the victim realised that he had been scammed.

Police added that, in relation to earlier cases involving the same modus operandi, three people were arrested and charged on May 9 over their suspected involvement in SIM card offences.

The public should never transfer money nor provide identification card details to strangers or people whose identities have not been verified.

Singapore government officials will never ask the public to transfer funds, disclose bank login details, install mobile apps from unofficial app stores, or transfer a call to the police or any other government officials, the police said.

If in doubt, call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799.