SINGAPORE: DBS and the police have prevented more than 600 of the bank’s customers from being scammed in May and recovered S$173,000 (RM551,870), both organisations said in a statement.

       However, about 60 people lost between S$60 (RM191) and S$3,000 (RM9,570) each because of new phishing scams.

       Thus, the bank may take “short-term measures that may lead to friction or delay to transactions”, because of a widespread current scam campaign, the statement added.

       DBS did not elaborate on what the measures would be, but said that they are meant to disrupt the scams and protect their customers, and that their bank’s systems remain secure.

       “Members of the public should be prepared for such delays, and their understanding is appreciated.”

       The Straits Times has contacted DBS for more details. Targets of the new variant may receive unsolicited SMSes with tags such as “SG-DBS” or “DBS-Notice” claiming that their card had been blocked due to unusual activity, or that their bank account had been frozen due to suspicious activities.

       The SMS then directs victims to sign in via an embedded link to verify their identity.

       This link redirects victims to a spoofed Internet banking log-in page, where victims would be asked to key in their online banking username and password, the statement said.

       After entering the spoofed website, victims would be redirected to another spoofed webpage requesting that they key in the one-time passwords received on their mobile phones.

       This compromises their accounts and allows scammers to siphon off funds, with victims finding out only later. — The Straits Times/ANN