Members of the public have been cautioned against a phishing scam involving SMS messages that impersonate Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA), the police said on Tuesday, February 10.
The scam has primarily targeted Singaporean travellers whose mobile phones connect to Malaysian telecommunications networks while roaming.
In this scam variant, victims receive text messages claiming to be from LTA, informing them of unpaid vehicle tolls allegedly incurred during their travel. The messages are sent using LTA's former official sender ID, "LTA", and include a link for payment.
According to the police, this sender ID was decommissioned in July 2024 and is no longer used for official communications.
Victims who click on the link are redirected to a phishing website designed to resemble an official payment portal. They are then prompted to provide bank card details to settle the supposed toll charges. The police said victims typically realise they have been scammed only after noticing unauthorised transactions made to unknown merchants using their cards.
Since January 27, at least 10 cases linked to this scam have been reported, with total losses amounting to at least S$24,000 (US$19,000). The police urged the public to ignore suspicious SMS messages containing clickable links that claim to be from LTA.
Authorities reiterated that all official government messages are sent from a single "gov.sg" sender ID. Any messages sent using decommissioned sender IDs of government agencies should be treated as fraudulent. Members of the public are also advised to block senders of such messages.
The police noted that details of legitimate outstanding vehicle-related payments can be checked through LTA's One Motoring website.
In a related advisory, the police also warned of phishing scams involving SMS messages impersonating the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). Since the start of the year, at least six such cases have been reported, with losses totalling at least S$8,000. These messages similarly ask recipients to click on a link to pay alleged outstanding vehicle tolls.
Singapore authorities stressed that the PDRM collects outstanding vehicle toll payments only through the Touch 'n Go system. Victims of these scams often realise they have been deceived after discovering unauthorised transactions in their bank accounts or cards.
The members of the public are encouraged to remain vigilant and verify payment requests through official channels before taking any action.
