SINGAPORE — The public is being warned to stay alert against phishing scams involving fake pop-up alerts that appear to be from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) while browsing websites.
These fraudulent pop-ups often make the site appear frozen and unresponsive, displaying the SPF logo along with supposed outstanding fines for alleged legal violations. Victims are then prompted to provide their bank card details to pay the “fines,” only to discover later that unauthorized transactions have been made.
Scammers typically use tactics such as activating the browser’s full-screen mode to block access to controls and the taskbar, or hiding the mouse cursor to make the page appear unresponsive.
Authorities advise anyone encountering such pop-ups to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the Task Manager and force quit all applications. “The SPF does not have access to ‘lock’ or ‘freeze’ personal computers or laptops,” the statement clarified.
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Members of the public are urged to ignore any alerts claiming to be from the police. Those uncertain about the legitimacy of a message can contact the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 for verification.
According to mid-year statistics for 2025, nearly half a billion dollars was lost to scams in Singapore during the first half of the year, with almost 20,000 cases reported. Cases of government official impersonation have become a growing concern, increasing from 589 cases in the first half of 2024 to 1,762 in the same period of 2025.
-Thestar