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Two men extradited from Malaysia to be charged over links to Android malware scams targeting Singaporeans Police officers escorting the men extradited from Malaysia. (Photos: Singapore Police Force)

Two men extradited from Malaysia to be charged over links to Android malware scams targeting Singaporeans​

The pair are believed to be part of the syndicate responsible for the malware-enabled scams.

SINGAPORE: Two men, aged 26 and 47, will be charged in court on Saturday (Jun 15) for their suspected involvement in malware-enabled scams against Singaporeans since June 2023.

They were nabbed in Malaysia following a joint, multi-jurisdiction probe, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said late on Friday.

Preliminary investigations showed that the pair had allegedly operated servers for the purposes of infecting victims’ Android mobile phones with a malicious Android package kit (APK) app, and subsequently controlling the phones.

These malicious APK apps enable scammers to modify the contents of the victims’ mobile phones, thus facilitating the subsequent compromise of their bank accounts.

WHAT HAPPENED

In 2023, there were at least 1,899 cases of victims in Singapore having downloaded malware onto their phones, said police. The total amount lost was at least S$34.1 million (US$25.1 million).

Scammers would first deceive victims into downloading malicious apps onto their mobile devices. These apps would enable scammers to remotely access the devices and steal sensitive information, including personal data and banking credentials.

The stolen information is then used to perform fraudulent transactions on the victims’ banking accounts, leading to financial losses.

After analysing the reports by the victims, SPF said it found that the individuals involved in these malware-enabled scams might be operating in a few jurisdictions.

A joint, multi-jurisdiction investigation team led by the SPF and including the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) was then formed in November 2023.

“Over the course of the next seven months, the joint investigation team unravelled the complex web of criminal activity and online infrastructure hosting the malware,” said SPF.

Based on the leads uncovered, Singapore police established the identity of two men who were believed to be part of the syndicate responsible for the malware-enabled scams and traced their location to Malaysia.

“With strong cooperation and assistance from the RMP, the two men were arrested in Malaysia on Jun 12, 2024, pursuant to warrants of arrest issued by the State Court of Singapore,” said SPF.

The pair were handed over to Singapore police on Friday.

The two men will be charged in court on Saturday with the offence of unauthorised modification of computer material. The offence carries a fine of up to S$50,000, an imprisonment term of up to seven years, or both.

The 47-year-old man will also be charged with the offence of acquiring benefits from criminal conduct. If found guilty, he faces a fine of up to S$500,000, up to 10 years’ jail, or both.

Both men will be remanded for further investigations, said SPF.

TAIWAN AND HONG KONG BUSTS

In the course of the investigations, SPF said it also shared information with the Taiwan Police, which led to the successful takedown of a syndicate operating a fraudulent customer service centre in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

The Taiwan Police conducted a raid on May 15 and arrested four individuals. The individuals were alleged to have used malicious apps to make unauthorised transfers from victims’ bank accounts.

Assets, including cryptocurrency and real estate amounting to a total value of about US$1.33 million were seized from those arrested.

Separately, the HKPF also took down 52 malware-controlling servers in Hong Kong and arrested 14 money mules who had allegedly facilitated the malware-enabled scam cases by relinquishing the use of their bank accounts to the scammers for monetary reward.

Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Tay, expressed his appreciation to all the law enforcement officers and other stakeholders involved in the operation.

“The arrest of these malware operators and dismantling of scam infrastructure demonstrates the resolve of the SPF in fighting scams. We are grateful for the strong partnership from our Malaysian, Hong Kong and Taiwanese counterparts, which has enabled us to disrupt this criminal operation and prevent further harms to victims,” he said.

“The SPF would also like to thank the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore for their support. The SPF will spare no effort to go after criminals, even those who operate beyond our borders, and we will continue to work with our foreign law enforcement partners to bring these criminals to justice.”

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/a...charged-4411371