$342 'refund' waiting for him? Man says 'PUB email' smells fishy
If you happen to receive this email from the Public Utilities Board (PUB), don't get too excited.
Though the email claimed you were overcharged by PUB and a refund is coming your way, chances are you'd be losing money as opposed to receiving any.
A Facebook user Amex Chiew received this email last Sunday (June 5) and immediately called it out for what it is — a phishing scam.
He shared it on the Facebook group Complaint Singapore later that day, asking netizens to spot the obvious error in the email.
"Received the email this morning and note the mistake too. Haha. Don't be blinded by the refund amount and gave [sic] your account ID, password and OTP."
The 'PUB email' stated that Chiew had supposedly been charged twice from the previous bill and that he was due a refund of $342.54. However, he had to first follow some instructions which included him depositing some money.
Upon first glance, the email may look deceivingly authentic but some glaring errors were evident.
For one, the typing assistant software Grammarly was clearly not utilised as the word 'refund' was misspelled once, with an extra 'f'.
The choice of letter casing in the email subject also left much to be desired.
Thankfully, Chiew didn't fall for the trap and chose to warn others of it.
On the same Sunday, PUB posted an advisory on Facebook about text and email scams, including the one highlighted above.
"Scammers may send emails from an official looking website with a slightly different web address, or other official looking messages with spelling and/or grammar mistakes," the post read.
PUB advised customers to never disclose personal or internet banking details and OTP to anyone.
On top of email scams, there have also been scams attempting to reach out to PUB customers via SMS, WhatsApp or phonecalls.
"If you receive any communication through these channels saying it’s from PUB, it is a scam."
The agency said that one may alert them of any phishing text messages via their 24-hour call centre at 1800-2255-782 or over email at pub_qsm@pub.gov.sg.
Scams are on the rise in Singapore and it goes beyond crooks posing to be government officials or institutions.
Among other common scams includes texts claiming to be from banks and SMS messages or emails claiming the recipient's parcel is stuck in transit and a fee must be paid to ensure delivery.
ALSO READ: Scammers target logistics firms with new ruse
amierul@asiaone.com
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