Announcements
SECURITY ADVISORY
Stay vigilant against phishing scams
At KGI Securities (Singapore), we take online security and our customer’s safety very seriously.
While we have equipped our trading platforms and accounts with industry standard security technology and practices to ensure that customers are protected against fraud, you play an important part in protecting your account and transactions too.
The purpose of this advisory is to remind you to protect yourself from similar scams.
Be alert.
Do not provide personal or login account information to unsolicited callers. Review the content in your SMS or email carefully before clicking on any links embedded in them.
Never give out any sensitive personal information (including login passwords or one-time passwords) over the phone or via e-mail.
Our staff will never ask you for such information.
Report suspected incidents.
Contact our Customer Service team or your account manager directly if you are in doubt of the validity of any call, SMS or email.
COVID-19 Phishing Calls
The Singapore Police Force (“SPF”) has alerted the public regarding scams using the COVID-19 outbreak as a bait. These scammers purport to be from Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and claim to conduct contract tracing to detect potential infected individuals. If an individual falls victim to these claims, the scammer may ask for the following information or request the victim to conduct the following actions:
- Internet banking credentials
- SMS OTP or security token approval
- Update funds transfer limit
- Perform fund transfers to a new account
How to protect yourself
- MOH will never ask for your financial details during contact tracing calls. Verify these calls with the official MOH hotline if you receive such calls. Do not proceed further if you suspect a caller is asking you to conduct suspicious, unfamiliar actions or transactions.
- Do not give out your account credentials, personl information or SMS OTP to other individuals. If you suspect you have provided your internet banking credentials, SMS OTPs, or security token approval to unauthorised parties, please contact your account manager immediately.
Scammers Impersonating Staff From Local Telecommunication Service Providers Or Officers From Government Agencies Offering Technical Support
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) would like to alert the public about scammers impersonating staff from local telecommunication service providers, or officers from government agencies who are offering technical support.
You are advised to adopt the following preventive measures:
- Beware of unsolicited calls from persons claiming that they are staff of telecommunication service providers or from a government agency, even if they claim there are issues with your telecommunication devices or allege that you are implicated in a criminal offence. Scammers may use Caller ID spoofing technology to mask their actual phone numbers and display different numbers. Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore.
- Do not panic and do not follow instructions to install applications, type commands into your computer or log onto your online banking accounts. No telecommunication service provider or government agency will request for your personal details or access to your online bank account over the phone or through automated voice machines. When in doubt, always call the official hotline of your telecommunication service provider to verify. It may also be wise to call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act on such instructions, in order to get a second opinion which can help counter possible misjudgements on your part.
- Never provide your name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account numbers, credit card details, or One-Time-Passwords (OTPs) over the phone to unfamiliar or unverified persons. Such information can be very useful to criminals.
China Officials Impersonation Scam
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) would like to alert the public to a new variant of the China Officials impersonation scam whereby callers impersonated as staff from the Ministry of Health (MOH) before referring victims to scammers claiming to be China Officials.
MOH will not ask for your banking credentials or to transfer monies to bank accounts.
You are advised to take the following precautions when you receive unsolicited calls from unknown parties:
- Don’t Panic – Ignore the calls and caller’s instructions. No government agency will request for transfer of money, personal details or bank account login credentials over the phone. Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act as you may be overwhelmed by emotion and err in your judgment.
- Don’t Believe – Scammers may use caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and display a different number. Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore. From 15 April 2020, all incoming international calls will be prefixed with a plus (+) sign. Stay vigilant when receiving any unexpected international calls, and reject those which spoof local numbers.
- Don’t Give – Do not provide your name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account or credit card details, and One-Time-Password (OTP). Such information are useful to criminals.