SINGAPORE, Oct. 3 -- With about 87 per cent of people in Singapore aged 15 and above accessing top social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok on a weekly basis, it is unsurprising that scammers have again turned to these platforms to find their victims.

Police said in a news release last night that at least 246 cases of phishing scams that are being promoted to such platforms have been reported since July this year, with total losses amounting to at least S$1.4 million (RM4.47 million).

Victims of this scam variant would usually encounter social media advertisements offering affordable products such as household products, food items and fashion items on social media platforms.

Those who clicked on these advertisements we...