Why people fall victim to scammers posing as police officers

Why do so many people fall for scammers who pretend to be government officials?

Jeffrey Chin, deputy director of the Scam Public Education Office (SPF), cites two reasons: the high level of trust in the authorities in Singapore and the use of psychological techniques by scammers to influence their victims.

Fraudsters instill fear in their victims by accusing them of being involved in a crime, explains Mr Chin.

“They exploit victims' trust in authority figures and create situations where victims have little time to make decisions,” he adds. “Some even use 'props' such as fake IDs or documents to (create their legitimate appearance).”