The police have issued a warning to the public to remain vigilant against a scam variant involving a Johor-Singapore housing subsidy initiative that has been circulating online.

In a statement released on Thursday (Sept 4), police said victims would come across advertisement such as "JBSG housing subsidy program" or "Free homes across the causeway" on online platforms such as Facebook.   

These advertisements falsely claim that there is a collaboration between the Singapore and Johor governments to provide subsidised housing. 

The posts often contain embedded links directing interested individuals to apply for the alleged scheme.

In one reported case, a document associated with the scam even carried forged signatures purportedly belonging to the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia.

After clicking on the links, victims would be redirected to WhatsApp, and instructed to communicate with the scammers. 

Victims were then provided with another link to enter their personal information such as Singapore ID, residential addresses and email addresses.

In some cases, victims were asked to transfer money online — allegedly for legal or stamp duties — or to physically hand over cash to an unknown individual.

"The police would like to inform members of the public that the information on this initiative is untrue, and the provision of personal information could be fraudulently used to perpetrate scams," the statement read.

The police also advised members of the public not to provide personal information to unknown individuals and to never transfer money or valuables to anyone whose identity has not been verified.

For more information on scams or to seek help, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg.

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com