Commuter 'rickrolled' by ScamShield advertisement at MRT station
The advertisement was found at HarbourFront MRT station.
A commuter's encounter with a ScamShield ad on the MRT has sparked online amusement after he was 'Rickrolled' by the campaign.
"Your bill is overdue. Pay now to avoid disruption http://p4ybill.cc/27js," said the advertisement spotted at Habourfront MRT station.
The 16-second clip shows TikToker Derrick entering the link from the ad into his phone, before Rick Astley's 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up starts playing.
Captioned "got f***ing rickrolled at an mrt station tf", the clip, which was posted on Oct 24 by vv._venom, had 22,700 views, 5,783 reactions and 49 comments at press time.
In 2007, the Rickrolling phenomenon - a bait-and-switch prank where users are tricked into clicking on a link that leads to the Never Gonna Give You Up music video - became hugely popular.
'Well. It's a scam for sure': Netizen
"Message successfully gotten across," one user commented.
Another commented, "Got scammed by ScamShield," while others said they tried it for themselves and found "it's legit."
Netizens are now curious about who created the advertisement, with some saying they need to "know the genius behind this." Others joked that "their interns must be jumping for joy," as they watch someone fall for the bait.
'Stop and Check': National cybersecurity campaign
In response to The New Paper's queries, the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) shared that the advertisement falls under their sixth National Cybersecurity Campaign.
Connie Lee, the Director of the Communications & Engagement Division at CSA said that the agency was pleased that "members of the public took the time to 'Stop and Check'."
Launched in September, the campaign was purportedly designed with URLs to mimic phishing links from scammers.
CSA expressed appreciation for the individual's civic-minded efforts and sense of humour, noting that his actions helped draw greater attention to the campaign.
In the meantime, Ms Lee added that CSA "would also like to remind everyone to be vigilant and not click on suspicious links."