SINGAPORE – At least 21 people fell prey to malware scams in September while trying to sell second-hand goods over the Internet, with losses amounting to at least $210,000.
The police said on Tuesday that scammers would post fake advertisements on Facebook, supposedly looking to buy second-hand items such as clothing, electronics or furniture.
The victims, responding to the ads, would communicate with the scammers on WhatsApp and agree on a price for the second-hand goods.
The scammers would then ask their targets to download an Android Package Kit (APK) – an application created for Android’s operating system – which contained malware.
The APK would give scammers remote access to the victims’ device, allowing them to steal bank credentials and passwords.
The victims would then discover that unauthorised transactions had been made from their bank accounts.
The police have asked people to be cautious when dealing with online ads, especially on Facebook.
Applications should be downloaded from official app stores, and the developer information on the app listing, as well as the number of downloads and user reviews, should be checked to ensure its legitimacy.
Suspicious content or ads should be reported to Facebook, the police said, and the number linked to the ad on WhatsApp blocked.
Any unauthorised transactions should also be reported to the bank immediately.
Those who suspect that their phones might have been infected with malware should turn the device to flight mode, said the police. They should also run an antivirus scan, check for unauthorised transactions on other devices or consider a factory reset of the phone, while also changing important passwords.
A factory reset restores a smartphone or computer back to its original state leaving the factory, and includes deleting all data, apps and settings on the device.
Members of the public with information relating to such crimes or who are in doubt are urged to call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
