The Police have observed an emerging variant of malware scam where victims would respond to alleged fraudulent Facebook advertisements of food items. Since 30 August 2024, there have been at least nine cases reported with total losses amounting to at least $223,000. Members of the public are advised to be wary of such fraudulent advertisements on Facebook.
In these cases, victims would come across advertisements on Facebook promoting the sale of food items (Refer to Annex A). Upon clicking on the link of the said advertisement, victims were redirected to WhatsApp to communicate with the scammers posing as “sellers”. Scammers would then engage victims in a video call and request for screen sharing. During the conversation, victims would be instructed to launch the Google Play Store app on their mobile device and deactivate the function “Google Play Protect ”.
Thereafter, victims would then be directed to download an Android Package Kit (APK) containing malware through malicious links, under the pretext of obtaining an order number or acknowledging the receipt of goods. The APK is an app created for the Android operating system. After downloading and installing the malicious APK file, which includes granting the app accessibility services, the scammer would then use it to take control of the victim's phone. The scammers will download a legitimate remote-control app from the Google Play Store onto the victim’s device to remove the malware while maintaining control of the victim’s device to access the victim's banking apps directly from their phone. Victims would later discover unauthorised transactions from their banking accounts.
In some of the cases, after the victims had discovered the unauthorised transactions, the scammers would call the victims, posing as bank officers instead. The scammers would then try to convince the victims not to lodge police reports, claiming that they would help to lodge it on their behalf. Subsequently, scammers posing as officers from law enforcement agencies such as Interpol would call the victims and claim that they were involved in money laundering. These scammers might then try to coerce the victims into parting with more of their monies while posing as an officer from a law enforcement agency.
The Police would like to remind members of the public on the dangers of downloading apps from third-party or dubious sites. Scammers may also exploit legitimate applications such as those with remote access or control functionalities. As a precautionary measure to protect the public, banks may block such applications. Members of the public would not be able to use banking applications when such applications are in use on their devices. Members of the public are advised to adopt the following precautionary measures:
ADD – Security features (e.g. download anti-virus applications and ensure that these apps are updated to scan for the latest malware, use the Money Lock feature of your bank to “lock up” a portion of your money so that it cannot be transferred out digitally by anyone, further protecting your savings from scams). Ensure your devices’ operating systems and applications are updated regularly to be protected by the latest security patches. Please refer to Annex B for the list of recommended anti-virus apps. Disable “Install Unknown App” or “Unknown Sources” in your phone settings and do not grant permission to persistent pop-ups that request for access to your device’s hardware or data.
CHECK – For scam signs with official sources (e.g. ScamShield App, call the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688, or visit www.scamalert.sg). Only download and install applications from official app stores (i.e., Google Play Store for Android). Be cautious if asked to download unknown apps to purchase items on Facebook or directed to screen share in a conversation where you are instructed to turn off Google Play Protect. Check the developer information on the app listing as well as the number of downloads and user reviews to ensure it is reputable and legitimate.
TELL – Authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report the suspicious contents or advertisements to Facebook. Initiate in-app blocking by reporting the number linked to the advertisements to WhatsApp. Lastly, report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.
If you have already downloaded and installed the app or suspect that your phone is infected with malware, please take the following steps:
- Turn your phone to “flight mode”. Check that Wi-Fi is switched off and do not switch it on.
- Run an anti-virus scan on your phone.
- Check your bank account/Singpass/CPF etc. for any unauthorised transaction(s) using other device(s).
- If there are unauthorised transaction(s), report to the bank, relevant authorities, and lodge a Police report. Continue to keep your phone in “flight mode” at all times.
- After completing steps a-c, if you believe that your phone has not been infected with malware, you may resume usage of your phone. As a further precaution, you may consider doing a “factory reset” of your phone and changing important passwords.
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!
Annex A
Screenshot of Advertisement▼
Annex B
List of Recommended Anti-Virus Apps▼
Source: https://www.csa.gov.sg/News-Events/Press-Releases/2023/csa-launches-fifth-national-cybersecurity-campaign-and-releases-list-of-recommended-anti-virus-apps/annex-b-list-of-recommended-anti-virus-apps
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
17 September 2024 @ 2:40 PM