24 Apr 2026

SOURCE: CPF Board

Scammers are experts at “hacking” feelings – making you feel scared, panicked or excited to drive you to act quickly without thinking. 

This is why scam prevention’s such a big deal, especially if you have a loved one who might be susceptible, or might have recently come into an unexpected amount of money. If this could help someone you know, share these tips with them to help them stay safe! This could also be a good reminder for yourself, because when it comes to scams, everyone can be a target regardless of age.

What are the scam red flags to look out for?

1. Asking for personal information

Nowadays, it’s common for some personal information be public knowledge thanks to social media. But that’s no reason to be careless with your private info! Your banking details for instance, should never be disclosed to anyone, even if they tell you they’re a government official.

Scammers may pretend to be an officer from the CPF Board and claim that there is something wrong with your account. They’ll then ask for your personal information to ”fix” the issue. However, a real CPF officer will never ask you for your personal information, so it’s an immediate red flag that they may not be who they claim to be.

In other cases, scammers have also impersonated government officers (such as a police officer) to trust and then trick the victim into making a CPF transaction (i.e. a withdrawal or even to update their bank details), so that they can then have the victim transfer the money to the scammer’s account once the CPF savings have been withdrawn.

2. Requesting immediate withdrawals

Scammers prey on your sense of urgency, giving you little to no time to consider your options. They do so by creating fake scenarios with an immediate deadline to force your hand. Some examples include:

An issue with your account

Being told that your CPF account might be compromised will make anyone panic. Someone could’ve already made a transaction using your account without your permission, or there could be a technical error that is preventing access to your retirement savings.

Either way, it’s a big problem, and an immediate solution would be ideal. So when that ‘solution’ is presented as a withdrawal for safekeeping in a more secure account, it’d be tempting to do as the scammer says.

You’re under investigation

Because of a suspicious transaction, you’re under investigation for some kind of criminal charge (fraud, being a phantom worker or some other crime) and are required to transfer funds to prove your innocence. And given the severity of the situation, you’re more likely to be pressured into saying yes. While these are legitimate crimes, no investigative process will require you to withdraw from your CPF accounts, much less transfer your money to some other account. 

So what do you do?

The solution is actually quite simple: you just stop and think about it. Whether you’re convinced by the person on the other side of the call or not, it doesn’t hurt to just pause and think about what you should do first. 

The first thing to note when it comes to CPF-related scams is what number the scammer is calling from. CPF will only call from a single outbound number, 6227 1188, and no other number, so if your caller isn’t from this specific number, it should raise some red flags in your mind. Similarly, SMSes from the Board will also be from the gov.sg address, and emails from the Board will always end with @cpf.gov.sg or @e.cpf.gov.sg. Be sure to check the address carefully, as sometimes scammers can change a single letter (from the letter ‘o’ to the number ‘0’) to trick you!

If you need additional reassurance, the ScamShield helpline can help you determine if it’s really a scammer you’re talking to. Available 24/7, you can call the ScamShield helpline at 1799 to check if the call and/or message you just received is legitimate or not. If you or your loved one aren’t confident about making the judgement call by yourself, the ScamShield helpline can help clear your doubts.

Helping your loved ones take notice

However, with so much information out there, it can be challenging for important anti-scam tips and advisories to really stick.  

This is why CPF Board has partnered with the students of Nanyang Polytechnic’s Communication & Motion Design course to come up with novel and creative ways to put forward these anti-scam messages. 

The collaboration allowed students to gain real world hands-on experience in developing content, while also helping them appreciate how anti-scam efforts can be a whole-of-society effort, with everyone playing a part to help strengthen our collective defence against scams. Check out the top two videos which are featured on CPF Board’s YouTube channel!

Scammers rely on moments of vulnerability and doubt to get their way. Even if you think you know what to do, a moment’s lapse can sometimes be all it takes. This is why it’s important to work together to help each other avoid being scammed.

Staying informed and vigilant can help safeguard you and your loved ones from losing your CPF savings to scammers. By familiarising yourself with the important tips and resources, you too can help educate your loved ones to keep their CPF savings protected.

Information in this article is accurate as at the date of publication.