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The Singapore Police Force (SPF) recently uncovered a sophisticated scam involving deepfake video technology to impersonate high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
In a Facebook video, SPF said a victim lost at least SGD4.9 million (RM17.15 million) after joining a fraudulent Zoom call.
Targeting business professionals with prior government ties, the scammers first reached out via WhatsApp while posing as a cabinet secretary, before setting the AI trap.
During the scam calls, investigators noted that the speech did not sync with lip movements, indicating a pre-recorded video layered with fabricated audio
The conference call was broadcast from a single account, featuring glitchy feeds, distorted backgrounds, and an awkwardly obscured Zoom logo.
To seal the deal, a separate fraudster posing as a lawyer later swooped in, pressuring the victim into transferring the funds.
In its post, the police shared telltale signs to spot deepfake scam calls
One dead giveaway is when the lip movements of individuals don't match the speech, while the audio comes from one account instead of individual participants.
SPF also said the public should look out for distorted backgrounds and partially obscured Zoom logos that don't align with the foreground.
The authorities reminded the public that Singapore government officials will never ask to transfer money or request bank login details.
They will also not ask you to install apps from unofficial sources or transfer your call to the police or other agencies.
Watch an extract from an actual impersonation scam call
