WNA Globe

World News by Wild Rose

#scams ร—

Southeast Asiaโ€™s scammersโ€™ new disguise: your leaderโ€™s face

There is a bogus version of Singaporeโ€™s prime minister that exists only to steal money. It connected to a Zoom call, thanked a stranger for his time and helped relieve him of US$3.8 million โ€“ with the real Lawrence Wong, for a time, none the wiser about what had happened. The victim had received a WhatsApp message purporting to be from the secretary to the cabinet, inviting him to a private meeting. What followed was not some doctored photo or a 15-second clip designed to fool a distracted...