Common signs of phishing emails or mails: 

• Urgent language with threat such as “act now” or “immediate action required to avoid consequences” 
• Requests for your personal information such as your username, password, bank details or verification codes 
• Unexpected attachments or suspicious URL links provided 
• Poor grammar or spelling, with images and graphics that are poorly formatted 
• Email addresses are spelled weirdly or suspiciously, with characters replaced such as “1” for “I” 

Common signs of scam websites: 

• Lack of "HTTPS" in the URL address or lack of padlock symbol in the site information found on the address bar of web browser  
• Poor website design with outdated or unprofessional graphics, broken links or low-quality images 
• Missing contact information 
• No privacy policy or terms of service 
• Unusual URL with weird or misspelled domain names 

DBS official website URL addresses will always have this domain structure: dbs.com.tw/xxx. There will never be a suffix before or after “dbs”, such as “dbs-cash.com.tw” OR “tw-dbs.com” 

Common signs of scam calls, SMSes or messages: 

• Unrecognised number and an unfamiliar voice 
• Urgent language with threat such as “act now” or “immediate action required to avoid consequences” 
• Requests for your personal information such as your username, password, bank details or verification codes 
• Unsolicited calls  

DBS will only send essential SMSes with no clickable links. Alerts in the form of push notifications will appear only via the DBS IDEAL mobile app. 

Scammers send phishing emails to DBS corporate customers claiming that their digital token for DBS IDEAL has expired and that the customer must “renew now” by clicking on the embedded link to a portal. The link leads to a fake DBS IDEAL portal where victims are asked to enter their login credentials, and then OTPs or approvals. Once credentials are captured, the scammer uses them to log in and initiate transfers before the legitimate user realises.  

Signs to look out for:  

• An email purporting to be from DBS telling you your digital token has expired, and you must click a link to renew  
• The portal address or domain is slightly different from the official site  

Protect yourself and your business:  

• Call DBS to verify the claim. If you receive such an email, do NOT click the link.  
• Do not share bank account details, One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or personal information. The bank will never send you a link via email/SMS asking for your IDEAL login credentials or token renewal. 

Scammers posing as a company employee may email the HR or payroll/admin function of your organisation, requesting to update their salary bank account, and asking for future payroll to be sent to a “new account”. The email often appears legitimate, using the employee’s name, signature or a look-a-like email address with minor spelling variations. 

Signs to look out for:  

• An email from the “employee” requesting an account change, especially with urgency, confidentiality or last-minute instructions.  
• The email address does not exactly match the company’s official domain or the one that the employee has on record  
• The request is made via email only, without the standard process (e.g., no signed form, no internal portal update).  

Protect yourself and your business:  

• Establish a formal payroll bank-account-change procedure with secondary verification (call the employee using the existing HR-record number).  
• HR/Payroll teams should treat any last-minute account-change request as higher risk and verify via a telephone number already on file (not the one provided in the email). 

Scammers impersonating DBS Bank staff may call customers, claiming that a payment you initiated is on hold for “verification”, and that they’ve triggered a push-notification via the DBS IDEAL mobile app for you to “verify” in order to release the funds.   

However, while you believe you are “verifying” a legitimate transaction for it to be released, you are actually approving a fraudulent payment that the scammer has created using your account.   

Signs to look out for:  

• An unexpected call via unofficial channels or unknown numbers claiming a payment is “on hold” with urgency and pressure to use the DBS IDEAL mobile app to “verify”  
• A push-notification arrives asking you to approve something you did not initiate  

Protect yourself and your business:  

• Do NOT approve unfamiliar transactions. If you receive an approval request for actions or transactions that you didn’t initiate, exit the app immediately and contact DBS to verify the claim using a verified number.  
• Monitor your account activity regularly. Enable transaction alerts, review recent activity on DBS IDEAL, set strong device PINs, and keep your app updated.  
• Do not share bank account details, One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or personal information. Bank staff will never ask you to disclose such information or to transfer money.  

Scammers impersonating insurance company representatives may call victims to enquire about recent insurance purchases or expired insurance policies. Scammers may offer to assist victims in cancelling the non-existent insurance, purportedly preventing automatic deduction of premiums. Or they may ask you to pay the insurance premium in order to reactivate the expired policy and prevent the total loss of the policy value. 

They may pressure you to transfer large sums of money for “safekeeping” purposes. Scammers may also request for personal information via private channels (e.g. Line/WhatsApp/Telegram). In some instances, the call might be transferred to other scammers pretending to be from "government agencies", who will assert that the victim’s accounts are compromised. The scammer would then tell victims to transfer money to assist in investigations.  

Signs to look out for:  

• Urgent request for money transfers:  Scammers aim to cause panic by claiming that failure to transfer money will result in consequences such as your account being frozen, delays in investigation, fines, getting arrested by the police, or other penalties.   
• Request for extensive personal details via private communication channels: Scammers bypass standard verification methods by shifting the conversation to Line, WhatsApp or other private channels to receive your personal information.   
• Follow up call from another “agency”:  The user may receive a second call from someone posing as another bank staff or a different government agency to reinforce their claims and pressure you further.  

Protect yourself and your business:  

• Call back the insurance company to verify the claim. Do not trust callers claiming that your bank account has been compromised or is under investigation.  
• Do not share bank account, One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or personal information. Government officials, bank and insurance company representatives will never ask you to disclose such information or to transfer monies.  

Scammers impersonating a company's senior management team may reach out via messaging apps (e.g. Line) to lure victims into participating in a video conference. During the video conference, scammers use deepfake technology to convincingly mimic senior management and make an urgent request for a money transfer. They will also instruct the victim to keep the request confidential. 

Signs to look out for: 

• Unverified communication channels: Scammers bypass a company’s official communication channels by shifting the conversation to private channels such as Line. 
• Urgent financial requests bypassing standard approval processes: Victims are pressured to make large, time-sensitive money transfers under the guise of confidentiality agreements or critical business deals. Scammers often fabricate consequences such as project delays or legal repercussions to compel immediate action. 
• Transfers to unknown accounts: Victims are instructed to transfer funds to new accounts that have not been previously authorised as official company beneficiaries. 

Protect yourself and your business: 

• Verify instructions carefully: Establish procedures to independently verify instructions from senior management, especially regarding financial transactions. Never rely solely on a phone call or email. Use established communication channels and contact individuals directly to confirm instructions. 
• Stay updated on deepfake technology: Learn how to recognise deepfakes. Conduct regular security awareness training for all employees. 
• Learn some of these telltale signs of deepfake videos/images: 

1. Blurry or irregular edges around faces or body 
2. Inconsistencies in facial features (e.g. mismatched age between skin, hair and eyes, overly smooth or wrinkled skin) 
3. Unnatural shadows 
4. Unnatural blinking or sudden changes in facial features 
5. Uneven skin tone or lighting 
6. Discrepancies between audio and lip movements 
7. Persons with an unnatural sounding voice

Signs to look out for: 

Scammers impersonating bank staff and/or government officials may reach out through unsolicited phone calls or in-app calls (e.g. Line/WhatsApp video calls) claiming your bank account has been compromised and is being used for illegal activities, or that it is under investigation. They may pressure you to transfer large sums of money to prevent your account from being frozen or to expedite the investigation. Scammers may also request for personal information via private channels (e.g. Line/WhatsApp/Telegram).  

• Urgent request for money transfers: Scammers aim to cause panic by claiming that failure to transfer money will result in consequences such as your account being frozen, delays in investigation, fines, getting arrested by the police, or other penalties.  
• Request for extensive personal details via private communication channels: Scammers bypass standard verification methods by shifting the conversation to Line/WhatsApp or other private channels to receive your personal information.  
• Follow up call from another “agency”: The user may receive a second call from someone posing as another bank staff or a different government agency to reinforce their claims and pressure you further.   

Protect yourself and your business: 

• Call DBS to verify the claim. Do not trust callers claiming that your bank account has been compromised or is under investigation. 
• Do not share bank account, One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or personal information. Government officials and bank staff will never ask you to disclose such information or to transfer monies. 

Scammers are creating fake DBS phishing websites to collect your personal information. 

Signs to look out for: 

Scammers request for personal information via private channels (e.g. Facebook/Line/WhatsApp/ Telegram) after advertising a fake DBS phishing website on social media (e.g. Facebook) 

• Unrealistic offers: The advertisement presents deals that sound too good to be true. 
• Unverified communication channels: The scammer bypasses standard verification methods by using Facebook or shifting the conversation to Facebook/Line/WhatsApp or other private channels. 
• Suspicious Document or Link: The user receives a document or link that claims to lead to DBS official website. But beware! The link will include minor differences while any websites will have errors in branding. 

         Always use DBS official website, hotline number and mobile apps to conduct DBS bank-related requests. 

• Report suspicious activity to DBS if you come across any suspicious advertisement or link, especially if you suspect that your personal information has been compromised. 

Signs to look out for: 

Scammers reach out to request for fraudulent payments through unsolicited phone calls or in-app calls (e.g. Line/WhatsApp video calls) and impersonating various roles: 

• Government Officials 

Scammers claim your business may be involved in illegal activities such as money laundering or identity theft. They request a money transfer to a fraudulent bank account to facilitate the investigation. 

• Bank Staff 

Scammers claim to have found issues with your corporate card, bank account, digital tokens or bank transactions. They request your bank account details including banking credentials or One-Time Passwords (OTPs), or personal information, to help resolve the issue. 

• Potential Customers 

Scammers pretend to place an order for your products or services, on condition that a permit or insurance is obtained to deliver the goods. They refer you to another scammer to apply for the permit or insurance with a secured deposit. 

• Property Agents 

Scammers use unofficial emails or phone numbers for communication. They also use forged documents to gain your trust. They then request for you to transfer your rental deposit to a fraudulent account. 

Protect yourself and your business: 

• Do not share bank account /card details, One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or other personal information. Government officials and bank staff will never ask you to disclose such information or to transfer monies. 
• Always verify payment requests and insist on making payments to local business partners via Unique Entity Number (UEN) instead of via mobile number or direct transfers. 
• Do not make advance payments to new business partners to secure the orders. 

Signs to look out for: 

• Scammers impersonate business partners or suppliers via a hacked email account or a spoofed email address to send false invoices with altered account numbers. 
• Scammers may use spoofed email addresses that look similar to legitimate ones with slight errors or changes to letters/symbols. 
• Email contains fake invoices asking for a change of payment modes and threats of losing the contract if instructions are not followed. These include transferring funds to a new account number urgently. 
• Scammers urge you to contact them via different communication channels. 

Protect yourself and your business: 

• Treat any new or sudden changes in payment instructions or bank account details of your suppliers with extreme caution, especially when informed via email. 
• Always verify directly with your supplier through alternate communication channels like a phone call using a verified phone numbers. 
• Verify invoices and the payment details against known records. Make payments to local companies via Unique Entity Number (UEN) instead of via mobile number or direct transfers.