Singapore Man Loses S$4.9 Million in PM Wong Deepfake Scam

A man in Singapore has lost at least S$4.9 million (US$3.8 million) in a sophisticated fraud scheme involving deepfake artificial intelligence and the impersonation of senior government officials, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) announced on Thursday, May 14.

The SPF issued a public advisory warning that scammers are specifically targeting business professionals who have had prior interactions with government officials. In the reported case, the victim was lured into a Zoom video conference that appeared to include Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, alongside other local and overseas government representatives.

Police confirmed that the likenesses of Prime Minister Wong and the other officials seen during the virtual meeting were created using deepfake AI technology to deceive the victim.

The fraudulent operation typically begins with a WhatsApp message from an account impersonating a high-ranking official, such as the Secretary to the Cabinet, Wong Hong Kuan. The victim is informed that they must attend a virtual meeting with the President, ministers and other senior officials. As part of the ruse, the scammers request the victim’s email address to send a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which the victim is then asked to endorse and return along with copies of their identification cards.

According to the SPF, the scam in this instance was framed as a request for funding assistance related to the Strait of Hormuz.

Authorities have cautioned the public to remain vigilant against invitations to virtual meetings with high-profile figures and warned against transferring money or sharing personal identification details with unverified individuals. The police advised the public to verify the authenticity of any official requests and directed those seeking assistance to the ScamShield helpline.