Your stomach drops. You sent the money, clicked the link, or gave the OTP, and now you know it was a scam. Stop scrolling the group chat for sympathy for a second and do these steps in order. Every minute counts more than every explanation.
Stop talking to the scammer
Block the number now. Do not send "one more fee" to unlock a refund or release a loan, that request is itself the next stage of the scam. Do not confirm your name, address, or ID to "verify" anything. If you need the chat as evidence for your police report, screenshot it first, then block.
Call your bank before anything else
This step saves the most money, so do it before you cry, before you tell your tita, before you post in the group. Call your bank's fraud hotline and ask them to freeze your account and cards. DBS customers can dial 1800 339 6963 inside Singapore, or +65 6339 6963 from overseas, and ask for the Safety Switch to lock digibank, PayLah!, and your cards in one call. Every other bank has the same kind of hotline printed on the back of your ATM or debit card. If you have a POSB or DBS account through work, our guide to opening a Singapore bank account has the app steps too. Change your online banking password and PIN once the account is frozen, from a device the scammer has never touched.
Report it, even if you feel embarrassed
Not sure if what happened even counts as a scam? Call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799, free, 24 hours, and they will tell you. From overseas the number is +65 6390 8379. To file the actual police report, call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or file online through police.gov.sg/iwitness. Keep the reference number the police give you, your bank will ask for it. If you or anyone is in immediate physical danger, that is the one time to skip straight to 999.
Filing the report does not make you look foolish. Scammers run this as a full-time operation, with scripts and shift schedules. You were busy, tired, or homesick for one message, and they were ready. That is the whole design.
If you shared your Singpass or installed an app for them
Reset your Singpass now at singpass.gov.sg. If a scammer talked you into installing anything, a "verification" app, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, delete it now and restart your phone before you touch banking apps again. If you are unsure whether an app is legitimate, the ScamShield app itself flags known scam numbers and messages, and our guide to installing it walks through the setup.
If you are a helper, on a work pass, or the scammer threatened your status
These scams carry an extra layer of fear for kabayan: a fake "agency" threatening to cancel your pass, a "PH Embassy" text asking you to pay a fee, a caller claiming to be immigration. None of that is how MOM or ICA operates, and no government office asks for payment over SMS or a call. If your employer or an agency is the one harassing you over money or your contract, the Centre for Domestic Employees runs a free 24-hour line at 1800-2255-233, spelled out that is 1800-CALL-CDE, and our guide to that helpline explains what they can do for you. If the situation involves immigration, police, or court matters and you need the Embassy itself, Assistance to Nationals answers urgent cases at +65 9072 2797.
Your anxiety afterward is normal, and a few things help
The fear does not end when the call ends. Your hands may still shake an hour later, your mind replaying the message on a loop, running the "if only I had waited" version of the last hour. That reaction is your body catching up to a shock, not a character flaw.
A few things help in the first day. Tell one person you trust what happened, in your own words, because saying it out loud breaks the loop of carrying it alone. Write down the timeline while it is fresh, the messages, the amounts, the numbers you called, both for your report and because getting it out of your head and onto paper quiets the loop too. Eat something and drink water even if you do not feel hungry, shock affects appetite before it affects anything else you would notice. Give yourself permission to feel embarrassed for an hour, then set it down, because the scam happened to your circumstances, not your character.
Watch for the scammers coming back a second time, now pretending to be the police, a lawyer, or a "recovery agent" who can get your money back for a fee. That call is also a scam. No legitimate authority ever charges you to return stolen money.
If it is more than anxiety, reach out tonight
If the fear, shame, or panic is not lifting, if you cannot sleep, cannot eat, or the thoughts turn dark, that is not something to push through alone. Samaritans of Singapore runs a free 24-hour crisis line at 1-767, with a WhatsApp CareText option at 9151-1767 for anyone who would rather type than talk. The National Mindline is also free and round the clock at 1771, by phone, WhatsApp at +65 6669 1771, or webchat at mindline.sg. Our longer guide to burnout and mental health support for Filipinas abroad has more Filipino-friendly options if today is one of the harder ones. You can also message the FIS Facebook page or write to hello@filipinos.sg, we read every message, and if we cannot help ourselves we will point you to someone who can.
What may change, and where to verify
Hotline numbers, bank procedures, and fees can shift. ScamShield, the Singapore Police, and your bank's own website carry the current version, so treat the numbers above as your starting list and confirm anything critical on the official page before you rely on it.
For everything scammers try on kabayan, from fake loans to job offers to package delivery texts, our complete map of scams targeting Filipinos in Singapore is worth bookmarking before the next one lands in your inbox. You did the hard part already by acting instead of freezing. The rest is paperwork, and paperwork you can survive.
