DBS Bank’s Post

“‘My dad has been acting strange – more stubborn than usual, and constantly holed up in his room, talking to someone.’ I was on the phone with one of our customers’ sons. His elderly father had walked into our branch, demanding to withdraw SGD 100,000 in cash. He claimed it was a down payment for a house in the Siglap district. That raised a red flag for me. Such a price for a property in Siglap – in this economy? It didn’t add up. And neither did the customer’s demeanor. He avoided eye contact, his hands trembled with impatience, and every verification question my colleague Xu Xian (pictured below) asked only seemed to heighten his frustration. 'Why can’t you just give me my money? No one can scam me!' he snapped. When I asked to speak to his wife – listed on their joint account – he grew louder. 'Stop wasting my time!' he shouted. “And no, you cannot verify with my wife, she has dementia!' Then, his phone rang, his ringtone slicing through the tension. When he stepped outside to answer it, I used that moment to call his son, who immediately agreed to come down to the branch. He arrived 30 minutes later, walking in with his father. But the fiery man from earlier was gone. In his place stood someone pale, shaken and quiet. He’d just spoken with our anti-scam team, who’d discovered that his internet banking had been compromised, most likely through a phishing link or malicious website. There had been an unauthorised attempt to transfer nearly SGD 90,000 out, but our systems intercepted it in time and blocked the transaction. That’s when he realised that he’d been a victim of a scam. 'Thank you,' he said quietly. 'I could have lost everything if it wasn’t for you and your team.' That moment will always stay with me. After nearly five decades in banking, I’ve learnt that every conversation and small act of caution can make the difference between safety and loss. Scams don’t discriminate. They come through fake links, spoofed calls or messages that seem harmless. No race, no creed, no age is spared. So if someone you love starts acting distant or secretive – pause and ask. It might just be the question that saves everything they’ve worked for.” – Bertilla Chea, Service Manager, DBS Treasures Siglap #HumansofDBS