Singapore loses over S$1 million to Microsoft and Crypto.com scams since May, police issue fresh warning

Scammers have stolen at least S$1 million from victims in Singapore since May through schemes involving fake Microsoft technical support alerts and fraudulent Crypto.com account warnings, according to the police.

In a statement issued on 2 July 2026, police said they had received at least 30 reports linked to the scams, in which victims were deceived into transferring money from their bank accounts or moving cryptocurrency into wallets controlled by criminals.

"The police have received at least 30 reports of such cases since May," the statement said.

Microsoft scam begins with fake security alert

Police said victims targeted in the Microsoft-related scam first encountered a pop-up alert on their computers claiming their devices had been compromised.

The alert instructed victims to call a telephone number beginning with the digit "3" for assistance.

After making the call, victims were connected to a scammer posing as a Microsoft technical support officer before being transferred to another scammer impersonating a police officer.

The fake officer would claim that the victim's computer had been infected or accuse the victim of involvement in criminal activities such as money laundering.

Victims were then instructed to download remote access software or click on malicious links, allowing scammers to gain control of their computers and banking accounts.

The fraudsters subsequently carried out unauthorised transactions or persuaded victims to make online or over-the-counter bank transfers under the pretext of assisting with a police investigation.

Crypto.com users tricked into moving digital assets

In another variation of the scam, victims received unsolicited calls from numbers beginning with "3", with callers claiming to represent Crypto.com.

Scammers falsely informed victims that their accounts had been compromised through unauthorised logins from locations including Turkey.

Victims could also receive e-mails or text messages designed to resemble official Crypto.com communications.

The call would then be transferred to another scammer, who instructed victims to download the Crypto.com On-Chain application and create a new cryptocurrency wallet.

Victims were persuaded to transfer cryptocurrency from their existing wallets into the newly created wallet before being instructed to move the assets again to cryptocurrency addresses provided by the scammers.

In some cases, victims were directed to create a new Crypto.com On-Chain wallet using a seed phrase generated on a website controlled by the scammers before transferring their cryptocurrency into it.

Victims realise scam after transfers

Police said victims typically discovered the deception only after noticing unauthorised transfers from their bank accounts or cryptocurrency wallets, or when the scammers could no longer be contacted.

"The police said that it is highly challenging to recover cryptocurrency assets that are transferred, because such transactions cannot be reversed."

The authorities reminded cryptocurrency users never to disclose seed phrases, wallet passphrases, private keys or authentication codes to anyone.

Police advise public to verify alerts

Police urged members of the public to verify the authenticity of security alerts only through official channels.

They stressed that Microsoft does not display telephone numbers in its error or warning messages.

Members of the public were advised not to call numbers shown in pop-up alerts, avoid clicking links or buttons contained in such messages and instead close the alerts by exiting their web browser.

If a browser enters full-screen mode because of a pop-up, Windows users should press F11 while other users can press the Escape key to exit full-screen mode. If the browser cannot be closed normally, users should open the Windows Task Manager to force the browser to shut down.

Those who suspect they have fallen victim to the scam should disconnect their computer from the internet or switch it off immediately to prevent further unauthorised access.

Police also advised victims to remove any applications installed at the scammers' instructions, conduct a full anti-virus scan and delete any malware detected.

If bank accounts have been affected, victims should contact their banks immediately to block unauthorised transactions, change passwords and banking credentials using a different device, and remove any unauthorised payees.

Where cryptocurrency wallets or trading platforms are involved, victims should contact the relevant platform promptly to stop further transactions or request that their accounts be frozen.

The police also encouraged the public to report fraudulent cryptocurrency phishing websites to SingCERT by e-mailing [email protected] or through its online reporting portal. More information on scam prevention is available through the ScamShield website.

Singapore scam victims losses S$913.1 million in 2025

According to data released by the Singapore Police Force in February 2026, 37,308 scam cases were reported in 2025, contributing to a 24.8 per cent decline in total scam and cybercrime cases to 41,974.

Despite the overall fall, scams remained the primary driver of cybercrime, accounting for 88.9 per cent of all reported cases. Total financial losses from scams fell by 17.9 per cent to approximately S$913.1 million in 2025, down from the record S$1.124 billion recorded in 2024.

Even so, the amount lost remained substantial, underscoring the continuing financial impact of scam-related offences.

E-commerce scams were the most commonly reported scam type, with 6,703 cases, while adults aged between 30 and 49 were the most targeted group, accounting for 36.1 per cent of all scam victims.