MAS warns on phishing emails

Some recipients were asked to provide bank account details and transaction fees.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) caution against fraudulent emails purportedly sent from email accounts from @mas.gov.sg accounts with subjects such as “Fund Transmittal” and “Singapore Compliance Information” as these emails ask recipients to click on links or open attachments which contain malware.

Some of the emails even said that MAS has received funds from foreign central banks remitted to the email recipients. Afterwhich, they also said that recipients are asked to pay a transaction fee and provide details of their bank accounts to a specified email address.

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“Members of the public should not respond to the emails, open the email attachments or divulge any personal information including login IDs or passwords,” the agency noted.

Meanwhile, other circulating emails said that MAS is updating information on the training status of compliance officers for programmes related to anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. Email recipients were then asked to provide this information by filling out documents attached in the emails.

“Under no circumstances will MAS ask members of the public to provide their personal or bank account information,” MAS said.

They urged people and financial institutions that have received any unsolicited or suspicious emails purportedly from MAS requesting personal or bank account information to report it to MAS.