SINGAPORE: At least 130 people have lost about S$182,000 after falling for phishing scams involving the delivery of parcels in the last two weeks.

The police issued an advisory on Dec 15 warning the public of the re-emergence of such phishing scams during the festive season.

Victims would receive emails or text messages informing them that their parcels are awaiting delivery or that they have outstanding bills.

They would click on a URL link in the message to find out more about their parcel deliveries.

After clicking the link, they would be redirected to fraudulent websites that would request their credit or debit card details and One Time Passwords (OTPs).

They would realise they had been scammed only after discovering unauthorised transactions made to their credit or debit cards.

The police advised the public not to click on URL links in unsolicited e-mails or text messages.

People should always verify the authenticity of the information with official websites or sources, even if they are expecting parcels to be delivered, and check transaction details before approving any, the police said.

Also, the public should never disclose personal or Internet banking details and OTPs to anyone.

Lastly, people should report any fraudulent credit or debit charges to their bank and cancel the card immediately, the police added.

The Straits Times reported on Aug 29 that a total of S$346.5mil was lost to all scams in the first half of this year. This is more than half of the S$633.3mil lost in the whole of 2021.

 - ANN