Scammers posing as Harvey Norman staff have duped victims in Singapore of at least S$4.8 million since January.
Here's how it happens: https://cna.asia/3VrxFrL
Here's the full detailed breakdown of this scam, reported 21 Sep 2026 by Singapore Police Force / CNA :
📊 Scale & Impact
- Reported cases: At least 119 since Jan 2026
- Total losses: At least S$4.8 million (~US$3.8 million)
- Harvey Norman itself logged 1,588 scam-related inquiries since May 2026
🔁 Step-by-Step Scam Flow
Phase 1 — The "Purchase" Call
- Victim gets unsolicited call from someone claiming to be Harvey Norman staff
- Claim: "You bought a TV / there's a pending delivery confirmation"
- When victim denies → scammer says: "Your details were misused; we need an investigation"
Phase 2 — The "MAS" Transfer
- Call is transferred to a second scammer posing as MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) officer
- Accuses victim of money laundering / criminal activity
- Creates fear & urgency to pressure cooperation
Phase 3 — The Extraction
- Instructed to transfer money to a "safe account" for investigation
- Alternative demands:
- Withdraw cash
- Buy gold bars
- Hand over jewellery, luxury watches to unknown individuals in person
- Promise: "Everything will be returned after investigation" → never happens
Phase 4 — The Realisation
- Victims make multiple transfers / hand over valuables
- No refunds arrive → they realise they were scammed
⚠️ Critical Facts to Know
- No government agency (police, MAS, etc.) will ever:
- Ask you to transfer money to any account
- Ask you to hand over cash/valuables in person
- Demand banking login details
- Ask to install apps from unverified sources
- Transfer your call to "officials" this way
- Harvey Norman does not transfer customers to MAS or police for "investigations"
🛡️ Protection & What To Do
- ✅ Use ScamShield app to block scam calls/SMS
- ✅ Call 24/7 ScamShield Helpline: 1799 if in doubt
- ✅ Hang up immediately on unsolicited calls about "unauthorised purchases"
- ✅ Verify directly: contact Harvey Norman or banks via official numbers from their websites — never numbers given in the call
- ✅ Never transfer money or give valuables to anyone over the phone's instruction
Stay alert — share with family, especially seniors ❗
Got a feeling spurs will come out to battle man utd like UCL finals... And man utd will draw them with goals scored... Maybe 2-2 3-3 ... And Carrick will say it feels like 1 point earned.