Over 22,000 scam cases were reported in the first half of 2023, involving losses of $334.5 million. So, it’s not a stretch to say that scams are more prevalent now than ever.
One particular type of scam that has been in the spotlight recently is the malware scam—a type of scam that involves having victims install malware on their phones usually in the guise of a third-party app.
Upon installing the malware-laced app, scammers can remotely control victims’ phones and steal their banking credentials, causing victims to lose their life savings overnight.
In the past month, we saw a 58-year-old woman lose over $44,000, and another 51-year-old woman lose over $76,000 to such malware scams.
So, of course, it’s a problem lah.
You can watch this video to find out more about the malware scams:
The good news is, however, that several individuals have since been arrested for their suspected involvement in these recent malware scams.
11 People Arrested for Suspected Involvement in Recent Malware Scams
Eleven individuals were arrested for their suspected involvement in the recent malware scams during islandwide anti-scam operations led by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) and Police Intelligence Department (PID) from 11 September to 12 September.
Four of the eleven people arrested were teenagers, the youngest being only 16 years old.
Yes, you read that right. What were you doing when you were 16 years old?
The other seven suspects are aged between 20 to 57 years old.
Currently, another six people between the ages of 21 and 41 are assisting with investigations.
How the 11 Individuals Were Involved in the Recent Malware Scams
Before you jump to conclusions, it doesn’t seem like all the eleven people arrested had the same extent of involvement in the recent malware scams.
It appears that all the suspects, excluding one 28-year-old man, were only involved to the extent of assisting these scams. So, they don’t seem to be directly responsible for withdrawing the money from scam victims’ accounts.
In fact, preliminary investigations reveal that ten of these suspects, including the four teenagers, merely relinquished their bank accounts, Internet banking credentials and Singpass credentials.
Huh? Gong simi?
Essentially, it was found that ten of these suspects merely gave up their banking and personal details for the actual scammers to work their “magic” using. In exchange, these suspects would receive monetary benefits lor.
The only suspect found to have a greater extent of involvement in the recent malware scams is a 28-year-old man found to have withdrawn money from his bank account and transferred it to an unknown person.
If it’s any comfort to you, the police have been doing their jobs diligently.
Last month, we saw another ten people arrested for their suspected involvement in the recent malware scams in a similar islandwide anti-scam operation conducted between 31 July and 11 August.
These ten people were aged between 16 to 43 years old. At that point, six others aged between 17 to 60 were assisting with investigations.
With how much emphasis authorities are placing on anti-scam operations relating to the recent spate of malware scams, it’s without a doubt that malware scams are one of the key scams you should look out for.
If you’ve been sent any suspicious links, QR codes of unknown origin, or requested to install third-party apps, do think twice—they may be signs of a malware scam.
To learn more about such scams, visit the ScamAlert website or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688.
