Lately, the Judiciary Police (PJ) has discovered that offenders randomly send SMS messages embedded with unknown links. The message claims victim’s instant messaging (IM) account is restricted because of a user policy violation and advises the victim to click on the embedded link to resolve the issue. The linked website is a phishing website designed to resemble the official website to lure the victim into supplying his or her account number, verification code, etc. The culprit can then gain control of the account.

In recent years, criminals have used the modus operandi above to steal IM accounts, then deceive people on the contact lists, resulting in losses in some cases. PJ therefore advises members of the public to stay vigilant and refrain from clicking suspicious links in SMS messages. Always verify the authenticity of the contents of the messages through official channels and check the embedded links to see if they match those of the official websites. Never provide personal information such as account details and verification code. Should you suspect you have been defrauded, please immediately call the Judiciary Police's Anti-scam hotline at 88007777 or the crime report hotline at 993.