Police warn of scam Telegram channels promoting 'government payouts'

Users of messaging platform Telegram and Instagram should beware of fraudulent channels and accounts promoting government payouts which may lead to the takeover of victims' Telegram accounts.

In a statement on Oct 1, the police said that the fraud involves the scammers promoting payouts such as SG60 Vouchers and Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers.

Victims would receive messages containing infographics encouraging them to claim such vouchers through fake Telegram channels posing as official ones. These are falsely titled as "CDC Vouchers" or fake Instagram accounts such as "govh.sg".

Once victims click on links on these channels, they would be asked to disclose personal details like mobile numbers, names or NRIC numbers. They could also be prompted to provide Telegram codes, which in turn would allow scammers to take over their accounts.

Using the victims' Telegram accounts, the scammers would then send out phishing links to victims' contacts or add victims or their contacts into chat groups that promote fraudulent investment schemes.

The official "gov.sg" broadcast channels on Telegram and Instagram are used exclusively for informational purposes, said the police.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) does not have a broadcast channel on Telegram and will not contact members of the public through Telegram, the police said, adding that verified accounts will have a blue verification tick, while fake ones do not.

The blue tick can be seen next to the account name.

The police reminded members of the public that they will never receive such a request via phone call, social media or email to disclose personal or banking details to claim government vouchers.

Requests to transfer money or install mobile applications from unofficial app stores to claim such vouchers or other government cash benefits will also not be made.

For SG60 and CDC vouchers, members of the public will only receive an SMS with a unique voucher link from the sender ID "gov.sg", after you have successfully claimed them at go.gov.sg/sg60v or go.gov.sg/cdcv.

When claiming these digital vouchers, people would only be asked to log in via Singpass for authentication and will not be asked to disclose any further details.

Official information and updates on such vouchers can be found at go.gov.sg/sg60vouchers and vouchers.cdc.gov.sg.

For GST Voucher, eligible citizens who have previously signed up for past payouts will automatically receive the cash benefits.

The public should also note that the MOF will send out information only through its official channels. These notifications will not include clickable links, require a reply to the SMS or ask anyone to provide authentication codes of any platforms.

"Members of the public should not click on Singpass login URL links sent through SMS or messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or Telegram," added the police.

Should users need to access a digital service via Singpass, they should do so via the organisation's website.

Around $456.4 million was lost between January and June 2025, with almost 20,000 cases reported in Singapore, said the police in their mid-year statistics.

In the first half of 2024, the number of scam cases reported on Telegram spiked by 137 per cent, compared with the same period in 2023.

To report scam-related information, the public can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit details online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness with the assurance of confidentiality.

For more information on scams, they can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.