'A call from me? Think again': SM Lee stars in mock scam call, warns against impersonators

We've all read news reports about scam calls impersonating public figures, such as former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, in attempts to extort money from unsuspecting citizens.

Lee, who is now Senior Minister, took to Facebook to simulate one such scam call by impersonating himself, in a bid to prevent others from falling victim to such predatory calls.

In a video uploaded on Thursday (July 30), SM Lee acted out a scenario in which he picked up a phone call, only to hear a scammer impersonating him on the other end of the line.

"Your bank account has been compromised. Please transfer your funds out immediately," the mysterious caller said.

After hanging up, SM Lee looked into the camera to raise awareness about such scams.

"No Government official will ever ask you to transfer money or handle valuables over a phone call. Not the police, and certainly not me!" SM Lee said.

He then encouraged those who are unsure to hang up immediately and verify the call by contacting the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

"A call from me? Think again. This is a simulation, but such impersonation scams do happen," SM Lee said in the caption.

He pointed to a recent case in which deepfakes of PM Lawence Wong and Minister Indranee Rajah were used during a fake video conference. One victim reportedly lost $4.9 million after seeing a video purportedly showing PM Wong requesting for "urgent funding assistance" related to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Scammers are growing more and more sophisticated, using deepfakes and AI to deceive victims. Any of us can be taken in and scammed," he added.

SM Lee concluded by urging Singaporeans to stay vigilant and to act against scams together.

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