SINGAPORE — In the first nine months of this year, at least S$1.2 million has been lost to scammers pretending to be their victims’ family or friends on Facebook, the police said.

This is from at least 45 reports of Facebook impersonation scams the police recieved in the same period.

Victims of these scams tended to be aged 60 years and above, the police said in an advisory on Monday (Nov 25). The victims were likely unaware that Facebook accounts could get hacked or spoofed, and tended to be more trusting, they added.

The culprits would usually contact the victims using compromised Facebook accounts belonging to the victims’ family and friends and entice them with various types of grants.

To receive these grants, victims would be told to provide their personal details, transfer money to bank accounts or remit money overseas.

The victims realised they were cheated only after checking with their family and friends.

The police are urging online users to be wary of unusual requests on social media platforms or phone text messages — even those sent by social media contacts — as well as get-rich-quick schemes that require fund transfers in exchange for more money.

Members of the public are also advised not to give out personal information and one-time passwords to anyone, including family and friends.