Mother of all scams thread

[Kopites]

On 8/22/2023 at 11:09 PM, Windwaver said:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/jail-for-student-mastermind-of-scam-involving-147-victims-who-were-duped-of-over-360k

Jail for poly student who masterminded scam that duped 147 victims of over $360k

SINGAPORE – A polytechnic student masterminded a scam on online marketplace Carousell that duped 147 victims who wanted to buy mobile phones into paying him a total of $360,600.

Teo Jun Hao then went to Thailand with his ill-gotten gains and used the money to gamble.

Teo, 24, and his then girlfriend Vanessa Chew Shi Qing, 26, were arrested at Changi Airport on Oct 25, 2022, when they returned to Singapore.

He was sentenced to four years and four months’ jail on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to one count of cheating and two counts of dealing with the benefits of criminal activities. Chew’s case is pending.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Zhi Hao told the court that Teo had hatched the scam without Chew’s knowledge, some time on or before Aug 27, 2022, to fund his gambling activities on illegal platforms.

As part of his ruse, Teo went on Carousell and claimed he had devices such as new iPhones for sale at discounted rates even though he did not have the items and knew that he could not fulfil any of the orders.

The DPP told the court: “Teo (had) sought the assistance of his friends from his polytechnic to write fictitious positive reviews of his Carousell account to boost (its) business reputation.

“During the period of offending, he wanted his Carousell account to ‘look more believable’ so as to entice the victims.”

The prosecutor did not disclose the polytechnic’s name.

Between Aug 27 and Oct 1, 2022, Teo communicated with the 147 victims, claiming he would sell them genuine mobile phones.

They later transferred a total of $360,600 to his bank account, but none of them received their devices.

In September 2022, Teo transferred $7,900 from the account to one belonging to Chew without telling her how he had obtained the cash.

He later asked her to withdraw $6,000. The DPP said that Chew complied and handed the amount to him. She also transferred the remaining $1,900 back to him.

On Sept 28, 2022, Teo suspected that the authorities had frozen his bank account and decided to flee to Thailand with Chew.

The pair left Singapore that day with $20,000 in cash and two gold chains – which were bought earlier – worth nearly $33,000 in total.

According to court documents, Teo also sought the help of a friend, Bryan Lim, 24, then a university student, to conceal his ill-gotten gains.

DPP Tan said: “He instructed Bryan to receive the monies from him, then either transfer the monies to Vanessa (Chew) or other individuals in batches, or to safe keep the funds for him.”

Between Sept 28 and Oct 1, 2022, Teo performed four fund transfers to move $64,145 from his bank account to Lim’s.

Lim then concealed the monies by, for instance, depositing a portion of it into Chew’s bank account.

The scam victims filed police reports between Oct 1 and 17, 2022.

The State Courts issued a warrant for Teo’s arrest on Oct 10 and an Interpol Red Notice linked to his case was issued three days later. Such a notice requests law enforcement units worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or other legal action.

Teo and Chew returned to Singapore on Oct 25, 2022, and were arrested soon after.

The DPP said that Teo has not made any restitution, but the police managed to seize more than $40,600 from sources such as bank accounts belonging to Teo, Lim and Chew.

Teo was represented by lawyers Jonathan Wong, Riko Isaac and Rachel Ong from Tembusu Law.

In the mitigation plea, the lawyers said that their client is immensely remorseful, adding: “He promises not to reoffend in the future and is resolved to change his life for the better.”

For cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

So buy iPhone also not safe from scam as well. 🤣🤣

[Stary]

On 8/23/2023 at 11:08 AM, Scion said:

got leh, earlier I posted here that Facebook should do more to regulate their advertising platform, but kena shot down

which baffles me

if there are for example, fake sellers or scammers on Carousell, doesn't Carousell has the right and responsibility to block and ban them? same thing for Facebook

Bro...if the platform knows who are the scammers, of course they will go ban them.

But the problem is they would not know who are the scammers at the point when these people  created the ad. The ad goes through an algorithm, and the algorithm only check the ad which was created on the platform.

The ad created by the scammers usually look legit and doesn't flag out anything to the algorithm.   It is the transaction flow after the user contacted the advertiser that is the scamming part. For.eg asking user to switch to whatsapp and ask him to download malicious apps.  There is no way any platform will know how the deal is handled or how the transaction process flowed after the user contacted the advertiser.

The platform can regulate the ad algorithm , but surely the platform cannot be expected to regulate how people wants to deal after they contacted each other.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Starry

[Scion]

On 8/23/2023 at 1:01 PM, Starry said:

Bro...if the platform knows who are the scammers, of course they will go ban them.

But the problem is they would not know who are the scammers at the point when these people  created the ad. The ad goes through an algorithm, and the algorithm only check the ad which was created on the platform.

The ad created by the scammers usually look legit and doesn't flag out anything to the algorithm.   It is the transaction flow after the user contacted the advertiser that is the scamming part. For.eg asking user to switch to whatsapp and ask him to download malicious apps.  There is no way any platform will know how the deal is handled or how the transaction process flowed after the user contacted the advertiser.

The platform can regulate the ad algorithm , but surely the platform cannot be expected to regulate how people wants to deal after they contacted each other.

 

Fair enough bro

i'm just not sure if Fb will actually do anything when people first flag out the scam/spam nature of certain adverts

i myself came across fishy adverts in Fb and reported them, but the same adverts appear again and again on my feed

[Stary]

On 8/23/2023 at 8:37 PM, Scion said:

 

Fair enough bro

i'm just not sure if Fb will actually do anything when people first flag out the scam/spam nature of certain adverts

i myself came across fishy adverts in Fb and reported them, but the same adverts appear again and again on my feed

Oh I see. 

I guess because advertisers are the platform paying clients,  hence maybe they needed time to check carefully before taking down an ad or in more serious case, banning the advertiser altogether.

[Windwaver]

On 8/23/2023 at 11:27 AM, Windwaver said:

https://www.8world.com/singapore/10-billion-money-laundering-suspects-bungalows-in-anxi-hometown-2219911

 

[Mercs]

 

[Blueray]

Woman swears won't shop online again after losing nearly $40k in tingkat scam

Zheng said she came across a Facebook advertisement for a tingkat delivery service by a company called Fat Boon on July 4.

"I thought it was not bad and contacted them. They told me to download an app in order to place an order."

Although Zheng did not sense anything amiss at first, she received a call from her bank two days later, informing her about unauthorised transactions made on the 23rd.

https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/woman-swears-wont-shop-online-again-after-losing-nearly-40k-tingkat-scam

[Kopites]

Using AI technology.

[Kb27]

seems like sinkies quite easy to con. if i get an unsolicited message like a one-word  "Hi" or "Hello". i just blocked it.

I'm not interested in making frens with strangers.

 

Are you a Telegram user?

SINGAPORE: Singapore authorities on Friday (Aug 31) warned members of the public about a new social media impersonation scam variant that involves the messaging app, Telegram. 

At least 50 people have fallen victim to the scam since January, with losses amounting to at least S$18,000 (US$13,300), said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) in a joint news release. 

This scam variant involves scammers taking control of the victims' Telegram accounts.

They do so by tricking individuals into providing their handphone numbers and Telegram-generated login codes.

[Stratovarius]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/mooncake-scams-android-malware-facebook-instagram-3747371

Mooncakes now.

[Wt_know]

scam until no one to scam liao

ownself turn in ownself aiming to get leniency?

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/jail-for-man-who-got-25-people-to-transfer-128m-to-him-for-investments

Edited September 6, 2023 by Wt_know

[Windwaver]

https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/6-cents-left-bank-account-woman-loses-over-37k-scam-after-trying-buy-thunder-tea-rice

6 cents left in bank account: Woman loses over $37k to scam after trying to buy thunder tea rice online

She wanted to buy some thunder tea rice, but found herself the victim of a scam instead.

Zhong Luo, 48, had seen an advertisement for the Hakka dish on social media on Sept 2 and couldn't resist the offer, ending up losing over $37,000 to scammers, Shin Min Daily News reported.

"The website was selling thunder tea rice for $7.90 each with a buy-two-get-one-free deal. There are few sellers of the dish in Singapore, so I decided to buy three servings to share with my family," Luo said.

She contacted the seller via a messaging app, and was given a hyperlink that allegedly contained a form for customers to fill in their delivery address.

When she clicked on the link, however, an app called Grab and Go was downloaded on her mobile phone instead.

The next afternoon, Luo noticed that her phone was heating up and unresponsive — no matter how she swiped, she would always be directed back to her phone's home screen.

At 4pm, she received a call from her bank notifying her of an outgoing $6,000 transfer, making her realise that something was amiss.

"I told the bank to freeze the account right away and explained to them that I hadn't transferred the money," Luo said.

"But at 6pm, the bank called again, saying that there were three transfers out of my account that amounted to $37,466. I immediately called the police."

Acknowledging that she was the one who clicked on the link, Luo put part of the blame on the bank, telling the Chinese evening daily that the bank should have frozen her account at 4pm.

"If the bank had delayed the transfers, it could've helped mitigate the problem," she added.

Borrowing money to survive

The woman also shared with Shin Min that the $37,000 lost was hard-earned money accumulated by both her and her husband over the years and was supposed to be their retirement fund.

Additionally, her son is currently studying in a private college and his $6,000 school fees are due this month, on top of another $2,500 for insurance.

With only have six cents left in the bank account, Luo said she had to borrow money from family and friends to survive.

Luo used this experience to warn others against making the same mistake, even managing to help prevent two of her friends — who happened to see the same advertisement — from falling for the same scam.

[Kopites]

https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/6-spore-women-lose-over-100k-after-falling-investment-scam-hong-kong-man

Six women from Singapore, aged 30 to 60, lost over $100,000 in total to a man from Hong Kong who developed a relationship with his victims over Whatsapp.

[Scion]

another one... buying beer this time

Quote

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/tech/man-responding-to-beer-ad-loses-60k-after-app-he-installed-gave-scammers-control-over-phone

Man responding to beer ad loses $60k after app he installed gave scammers control over phone

SINGAPORE – Mr Adrian Kong, 50, thought he was buying beer on the cheap online, but was instead led to download a virus-laden app that gave scammers total control of his phone.

They allegedly hacked into his phone overnight and entered his DBS Bank account while he was asleep to increase his transfer limit, then stole roughly $60,000 of savings meant for his children.

Mr Kong’s case, which is being investigated by the police, adds to a growing number of malware scams involving victims whose bank accounts were emptied after they unknowingly installed a virus. It is the latest weapon of choice for scammers, who have siphoned at least $345,000 using such methods since July.

Speaking to The Straits Times on Tuesday, Mr Kong, a consultant working in the finance sector, said he was browsing through Facebook at 9.30pm on Aug 30 when he saw an advertisement promoting alcohol at “50 per cent retail price”.

He contacted the seller – “Mr Dizzy” – on Facebook Messenger and asked if he could buy 12 cans of Asahi beer, which was listed as $42 in total.

He did not suspect a scam since the sellers claimed to accept cash on delivery, putting him at ease as he did not need to take the risk of making an online transaction.

The seller sent Mr Kong a URL on WhatsApp to install a third-party app called “Go-shop v3.6”, which he downloaded on his Samsung Galaxy Note 10. He placed an order on the app to receive a rebate, but did not make any transaction using the app at the time.

At 9.50pm, Mr Kong received a notification from DBS that $10 was received. “Mr Dizzy” then texted him, saying it was a rebate awarded to Mr Kong, and urged him to check his banking app to see if he had received it.

Mr Kong said: “Unknowingly, I went into my bank account to check. I think this was the point where the scammers were able to see my phone and look at all the details I keyed in.”

Around 2am, Mr Kong clicked on his OCBC account while he was scrolling through his phone but found that he could not enter the app. As part of a new security feature rolled out in August, the app notified him that a third-party app called Go-shop was interfering with his OCBC app.

The security feature, which blocks apps from non-official platforms and flags those with risky permission settings, was rolled out in response to malware scams that often hacked into victims’ bank accounts. The feature alerts the user to the third-party app detected on the device and advises the user to delete the app or adjust its accessibility settings.

When Mr Kong informed “Mr Dizzy” about this, the putative seller apologised for the trouble and offered to meet him to help uninstall the app.

“I had a funny feeling after I put down the phone and went to sleep,” said Mr Kong. “And true enough, the next morning the worst happened.”

At 9am, he opened his bank app and found four unauthorised PayNow transactions on his account for sums between $7,683.30 and $19,882.50 to unknown contacts named “Kumara” and “Mohammad Sharul”.

Another transaction of around $16,000 was declined. No money from his OCBC account was stolen.

Mr Kong also received an e-mail from DBS at 2.59am that his transfer limit to other banks was increased to $125,000, but he missed the notification as he was asleep at the time. He reported the incident to the bank and the police.

Mr Kong said: “$60,000 to a middle-income family is huge. It was set aside for my two children for their expenses over the next few years for their tuition and daily expenses.

“After rushing to the police station, I told my wife what happened. She was so shocked.”

He also alerted friends to whom he had forwarded the beer advertisement, informing them that he had been scammed, and reported the post to Facebook.

He said he hopes other users will be alert to such scams, and suggested that there ought to be a delay before large transfer limits are granted to prevent such incidents, since they are high-risk transactions.

Banks have been required by the authorities since 2022 to seek additional confirmation with customers to process significant changes to accounts, such as the activation of a new soft token, following a spate of phishing scams.

In reply to queries from ST, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said additional measures to protect customers from scams, which include requiring additional customer confirmations to process significant changes to customer accounts, such as changes to online transaction limits, have been in effect since Oct 31, 2022.

In June 2022, MAS required all banks to set the default transaction limit for online funds transfers to $5,000 or lower and to provide a “kill switch” for customers to freeze their accounts quickly if they suspect a scam.

When asked about the incident, a DBS spokesman said: “We have been working closely with the Government and industry partners on measures to address the risks relating to malware scams.

“There is a need to take a considered approach for this. As we work to provide a robust level of protection for our customers, we also want to keep the customer journey as frictionless as possible.”

Mr Kong’s case adds to a slew of scams linked to third-party apps that introduce malware. In August, at least 27 victims lost a total of around $325,000 after sellers advertising mooncake sales on social media directed them to install Android Package Kit (APK) files that contained viruses.

Scammers employed a similar modus operandi to siphon more than $20,000 from a 54-year-old woman who was looking online for food options for her elderly parents.

The rise in malware scams has prompted organisations like those in the banking and telco industries to raise cyber-security measures over third-party apps.

The police urged the public to enable two-factor authentication for bank apps and set transfer limits on Internet banking transactions. It advised people to only install apps from official app stores and to disable “Install Unknown App” or “Unknown Sources” in their phone settings.

Users who suspect their phone is infected with malware should turn their device to flight mode and run an antivirus scan. They should also check their bank, Singpass and Central Provident Fund accounts for any unauthorised transactions by other devices and report them to the police, if any, the police said.

 

 

[Stratovarius]

On 9/8/2023 at 7:54 AM, Scion said:

another one... buying beer this time

 

As much as ocbc kena left right and centre for scanning users' phone. I think this is probably the best way to move things forward.

I already uninstalled fb not because of the ads but coz strawberry say fb is for old people. Lol.

[Scion]

On 9/8/2023 at 8:20 AM, Stratovarius said:

As much as ocbc kena left right and centre for scanning users' phone. I think this is probably the best way to move things forward.

I already uninstalled fb not because of the ads but coz strawberry say fb is for old people. Lol.

 

true... in FB feed, less and less friends sharing their updates

more and more of those bo liao adverts

[inlinesix]

On 9/8/2023 at 8:20 AM, Stratovarius said:

As much as ocbc kena left right and centre for scanning users' phone. I think this is probably the best way to move things forward.

I already uninstalled fb not because of the ads but coz strawberry say fb is for old people. Lol.

🤣

[zipping]

https://newswav.com/A2309_Nb9GJl?s=A_gxgMESj&language=en

 Scam Exposed: Here Are 11 Tips To Help You Identify & Prevent Yourself From Falling Into Their Scam Traps

10 Hours ago
By EGHYJ

The one thing scarier than a virus is undoubtedly scammers because they mutate so quickly that you might not even realize it's happening. The best course of action is to arm ourselves with knowledge of the latest scam tactics and exercise extra caution at all times.

To aid everyone in the endeavour of recognizing these scam tactics, here are 11 tips for your reference:

1) Beware of Fake Phone Numbers:
Scammers often use fake phone numbers to appear legitimate. Avoid calls from numbers starting with :-
- 08-111
- 100 (international scams)
- 1069 (domestic scams, especially SMS links)
- 95 (utilizing high-tech tricks)
- 400 (indicating personal data leakage)
- unknown numbers
Don't hesitate to hang up on them.

2) Income Tax Scams
If someone claims to be from the Public Safety Tax Department or the National Tax Bureau, it's best to remain silent and disconnect immediately.

3) Bank Debt Claims
When someone mentions you owe a substantial sum to a bank, be cautious and end the conversation.

4) Credit Card Fraud Alerts
If someone claims that your credit card has been a fraud, check your SMS for any unusual credit card charges first. Your bank will send you a message if there's a significant transaction.

5) Lottery Wins with Suspicious Links
Never click on any links claiming you've won a lottery prize. Delete such messages without hesitation.

6) Parcel Payment Scams
Unless you've ordered prohibited items, you'll never be asked to pay for a parcel's release.

7) Illegal Parcel Shipping
If you receive an illegal parcel, report it immediately. Verify the company's official contact information and call them for clarification.

8) Hit-and-Run Scams
Scammers might call claiming your family member was involved in a hit-and-run accident. They'll provide detailed information to gain your trust. Verify your family member's safety with them directly before taking any action.

9) Drug Trafficking Scam
In this scenario, the scammer impersonates a high-ranking police officer from a major police station, alleging your family member has committed a crime. They'll ask for an initial payment and connect you to an 'official' for further fees. Always confirm your family member's whereabouts and safety first.

10) Money Laundering Scam
Posing as a police officer from a prestigious police headquarters, the scammer informs you that your bank account has been used for money laundering. They'll request personal information for 'investigation' and ask you to transfer your funds to another account. This is a red flag; don't comply.

11) Phishing Sites and Links
Scammers may contact you claiming issues with recent online purchases and ask you to re-enter your bank details. They create fake websites and links resembling those you've used before. To protect yourself, verify the link's legitimacy by hovering your mouse pointer over it to check for suspicious URLs in the bottom left corner of your screen. Do NOT click on the link! Contact the platform's official customer service if you have doubts.

By staying informed and following these 11 tips, you can protect yourself from scammers who are constantly evolving their tactics to catch unsuspecting victims. Stay vigilant, and don't fall for their tricks!

If you find these tips useful, do share them with your friends and families too!