Mooncake scam in Singapore swindles 27 victims, results in $325,000 losses in a month
Fraudulent mooncake sales on social media platforms exploit unsuspecting victims, as police share safety measures
SINGAPORE — At least 27 victims have fallen prey to a recent scam involving mooncake sales on social media platforms, resulting in losses totalling around $325,000 since August, said the police on Tuesday (5 September).
The scam involved fraudulent mooncake sales on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and the police provided details to help the public avoid falling victim to these schemes.
How victims fell for malicious links and lost thousands
The scam victims reported contacting "sellers" advertising mooncakes on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Once they expressed interest and placed orders through social messaging platforms, they were redirected to WhatsApp to complete their payments.
However, the police have revealed that the links in the WhatsApp messages led victims to download an Android Package Kit (APK) file, an application designed for Android operating systems containing malware.
In other instances, victims were instructed to make payments via PayNow or bank transfers to purchase mooncakes. Subsequently, the scammers informed victims that their orders needed to be cancelled due to production or manpower issues and then directed them to malicious links under the guise of offering refunds.
Once the APK file was downloaded and installed, the scammers gained remote access to victims' devices, allowing them to steal passwords and access banking credentials, according to the police.
As a result, victims later discovered unauthorised transactions in their bank accounts.
Facebook user's warning
A Facebook user posted on Tuesday in the Facebook Group, Complaint Singapore that she had bought some durian mooncakes from a seller known as Duria Singapore 榴冠王 - 新加坡总代, and she shared her experience:
"What a scammer. Received a call from Lily today for tomorrow delivery. To my surprise, she told me the factory had people catching COVID and the factory was required to do disinfectation and will be closed for the month. There was no promise when they can do the delivery, and I asked for a refund."
According to the user, the problem arose when the seller required her to download an app to process the refund, but it's available only on Android phones.
She stated, "I'm an iPhone user, so (it) couldn't be done. (Lily) mentioned that she was going to check for me. On the next day, she deleted all the messages she had sent and blocked me. She even blocked me on Facebook Messenger."
The user called for others to be aware when making purchases from Facebook merchants.
Police offer precautions and actions to safeguard finances and devices
To protect against falling victim to such scams, the police advise taking several precautionary measures.
These include installing the ScamShield app, enabling two-factor or multifactor authentication for bank apps, and setting transaction limits on internet banking transactions.
Additionally, it is important to ensure that devices have updated antivirus/anti-malware applications and to disable the "Install Unknown App" or "Unknown Sources" phone settings.
Furthermore, police said the public should download and install applications only from official app stores and to exercise caution when asked to download unknown apps to make purchases on social media platforms.
Should they encounter fraudulent transactions, the police urge them to report to their banks immediately and inform the relevant authorities, family and friends about the scams.
If they suspect that their phones may be infected with malware, they can take the following steps:
Switch your phone to "flight mode" and check that wi-fi is switched off. Do not switch it on.
Run an antivirus scan.
Check your bank, Singpass, and Central Provident Fund accounts for unauthorised transactions on other devices.
Report the issue to the bank and relevant authorities, and file a police report.
For additional scam information, the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or contact the anti-scam helpline at 1800-7226688.
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