UOB customers targeted in online phishing scam, police issues alert

iphone phishing scam
Reuters

Several customers of United Overseas Bank (UOB) were targeted in an online phishing scam that involved their personal information and credit card details.

The police said it received reports where victims were cheated into providing their personal information and credit card details on phishing websites after responding to SMSes (Short Message Service) that were purportedly sent by UOB.

The victims later realised that unauthorised transactions in various foreign currencies were made to their credit cards, Singapore Police Force said in a Facebook post.

Victims were asked to click on the link provided (uob-mob.com) on the text message. They were then directed to a website resembling a genuine website of the bank where they were asked to enter their personal information and credit card details, such as their credit card number, date of expiry and Card Verification Value for verification purposes.

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Without the knowledge of the victims, the scammers had downloaded the "UOB Mighty App" and entered all the details that the victim had provided into the application, the police said.

This would lead to the victims receiving a One-Time Password (OTP) on their mobile phones which they were prompted to key into the website.

Subsequently, the victims received SMS notifications of foreign transactions made on their credit cards, said the police.

Singapore police advised customers to be wary while disclosing personal information and bank account details over the internet;

Beware of phishing websites that may look genuine. These websites are generally encrypted to protect your details. Secure websites use 'https:' instead of 'http:' at the start of the internet address, or display a closed padlock or unbroken key icon at the bottom right corner of your browser window.

It asked members to report any fraudulent charges detected in your credit card bills to the bank immediately.

For scam-related advice, members of the public can call 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg.

This article was first published on January 17, 2018
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