PHONE-KIDNAP scams are getting to be such a serious concern that banks are holding briefings to alert staff about such cases.
And these information-sharing sessions are paying off, as staff spot and thwart an increasing number of scam incidents.
Fraudsters usually call the victims at home and threaten to harm a family member or relative. Often, the "loved one" is crying in the background.
A ransom of several thousand dollars would have to be paid to guarantee the family member's safe return.
Maybank reported the latest case - which it foiled last Monday - at its Ang Mo Kio branch.
A 67-year-old customer, Mr Teo, had walked into the branch in a state of agitation. He was talking on his mobile phone and was still on the line when he was served.
The retiree wanted to remit $1,000 to a Malaysian Maybank account but did not know the recipient personally. He was also unable to verify the name of the branch when the teller asked for details.
Picking up on these telltale signs, a bank employee quickly alerted service manager Candy Lim that Mr Teo could be a scam victim.
Ms Lim approached Mr Teo, who told her his son had been kidnapped. She then talked to the fraudster via Mr Teo's mobile phone before taking Mr Teo to a room and relating previous similar incidents to him.
She also called his son's employer to verify the latter's whereabouts.
That was when Mr Teo realised he had been duped. He had already withdrawn $14,000 from another bank and handed it over in person to the fraudster's accomplice earlier that morning.
Ms Lim, 42, told my paper that she encountered three such cases in April this year. Mr Teo's was the fourth incident.
Said Ms Lim: "Maybank's daily briefings, when information about scam cases at various branches is discussed, have been very useful in helping us thwart such incidents."
Like Maybank, OCBC trains its staff to be vigilant and ask customers for reasons when they withdraw large amounts of cash.
Over at POSB, employees foiled 14 scam attempts in the first half of this year.
Like Mr Teo, all the victims had to pay a ransom ranging between $8,000 and $80,000 to secure their relatives' release.
According to police, 21 victims lost $322,000 to such fraudsters in the first six months of this year.
