The service families search for most
Scam protection for your parents.
This page is written as help, not as a sales pitch. Everything here is useful even if you never book a visit — that is the point of it.
What the current scams in Singapore look like
They do not look like scams. That is why they work — on capable, careful people.
The “bank” call or SMS
A call or message says there is a problem with an account — a suspicious transaction, a frozen card. It creates urgency and asks for a one-time password or a tap on a link. Real banks in Singapore no longer send clickable links or ask for OTPs over the phone. Ever.
The “official” caller
Someone claims to be from the police, MAS, the courts or a ministry, and says your parent is connected to a crime. Real Singapore officials will never demand money transfers or banking details over a phone call. The instruction is simple: hang up, then check.
The “friend” or “grandchild”
A new number messages: “Mum, my phone spoiled, this is my new number.” Days later, an emergency needs money. The defence is a habit, not an app: call the old number, or call another family member, before anything is sent.
The “job” or “investment”
Easy money for simple tasks, or an investment with guaranteed returns, usually beginning on WhatsApp, Telegram or Facebook. Early small “payouts” are bait. Any scheme that guarantees returns, or pays you to like posts, is a scam — full stop.
The fake app
A link asks your parent to install an app — for a delivery, a deal, a “security update”. Outside the official Play Store or App Store, these apps can read the screen and steal banking logins. Rule of thumb: only ever install from the official store, and never from a link sent in a message.
If money has already gone
Speed matters more than embarrassment. Call the bank's fraud hotline immediately, then make a police report. Do not delete the messages — they are evidence. And tell the family: the shame scammers count on is their last line of defence. Break it.
What we set up on a scam-proofing visit
Layered, boring, effective — most of it takes one visit.
On the phone
- ScamShield installed and configured, and the phone's own spam filtering switched on
- Unknown-number silencing set up, with real contacts protected so family always gets through
- Banking apps checked: official versions only, notifications on, daily transfer limits lowered to a sensible amount
- Screen locks, face or fingerprint login, and automatic updates turned on
On the accounts
- Singpass security reviewed together, and the bank's own security features (like money lock, where offered) explained and set up if wanted
- Real examples on their own phone: what a genuine bank message looks like next to a fake one
- The house rule agreed out loud: before you tap anything, call Ricky or call me
- A large-print note left on the fridge: what to do, and the number to ring first
What your family should agree on
Technology helps, but the families who avoid losses share habits, not apps. Agree these out loud — with your parent in the conversation, not talked over.
- Nothing urgent is ever done on the spot. Urgency is the tell. A real bank, a real officer, a real grandchild can all wait ten minutes.
- One agreed call-before-you-tap person — Ricky, you, or a sibling — whose number is on the fridge.
- A family code word for “it really is me”. One question any imposter fails.
- No shame, ever. The parent who mentions a strange message early is praised, not scolded.
Our family rule:
Before I tap any link
or send any money —
I call Ricky: 9090 8383
or I call my daughter.
Ten minutes of waiting
never hurt anyone.
Agreed out loud, written down, stuck on the fridge. This is the whole system.
Want this set up properly?
One visit covers the phone, the accounts, the practice and the paper on the fridge. If you only take the free advice above, that is fine too — it is why we wrote it.