Over 80 victims lose $625k to malware scams involving phishing links sent via WhatsApp

Malware scams involving phishing links sent through messaging platform WhatsApp have led to at least $625,000 in losses since last December.

Giving the figures in a news release on Friday (Jan 10), the Singapore Police Force said at least 82 cases of such scams have been reported.

The victims fell into a recent type of scam when they responded to fraudulent advertisements promoting travel and cleaning services on Facebook or TikTok.

After leaving their contact details to indicate their interest, scammers would contact them through WhatsApp to request for a $5 payment as "membership fee or an upfront deposit" made through a phishing link.

The victims would key in their credit or debit card details and encounter payment issues.

Scammers would then instruct them to download a malicious application in an Android package kit (APK) file format through WhatsApp to 'resolve' the payment issues.

The malware, once downloaded, would allow scammers to steal sensitive information such as SMS one-time passwords.

They would then perform unauthorised card transactions either from the victims' mobile device or their own, warned the police.

In some cases, scammers would guide their victims to configure settings in their devices to disable Google Play Protect, which helps to prevent harmful downloads.

Once disabled, victims would not receive alerts when they have unknowingly downloaded and installed malware into their mobile phones.

The police advise people to practise "ACT" - add security features, check for signs, and tell the authorities and others about scams.

Members of the public who have downloaded and installed a malicious application, or suspect that their phones are infected with malware, should switch their phones to flight mode and ensure that the Wi-fi is switched off.

They can also run an anti-virus scan on phones.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com