SINGAPORE - At least 220 people reported calls from scammers pretending to be Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) officers in the past two months, prompting the authority and banks here to remind the public on Monday (April 27) not to engage with such calls.

The warning echoed the alerts issued by the MAS on Feb 25 and March 5, when it received nearly 100 reports of such calls in a single day.

The callers impersonated MAS staff and asked recipients for personal banking information or their log-in credentials.

"MAS advises the public to be wary when receiving unsolicited calls. MAS officers will never ask members of the public for personal banking information (or) online banking log-in credentials such as usernames, passwords and one-time PIN(s)," the authority said.

The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) also noted a recent uptick in scam messages and calls that impersonate bank staff which sometimes falsely offer bank loans.

It said it will not make calls to customers from an international phone number, or unsolicited ones via mobile chat apps like Whatsapp or Viber.

If members of the public receive calls from their banker via Whatsapp, it would only be to resolve or follow up on specific matters that they are fully aware of, the ABS said.

Banks will also not close accounts within a few hours, and will not ask for PINs and one-time passwords.

Those who receive such calls can report the incident to their bank and to the MAS by e-mailing webmaster@mas.gov.sg, or call the police on 1800-255-0000.

They should also block or report the number as spam on the mobile application immediately, the ABS said.