Digital fraud in Singapore: From deepfakes to fake Domino’s Pizza website, island state is seeing a crime wave

The tiny island nation of Singapore has some of the tech-forward populations in the world, with practically 91 per cent Internet penetration until 2022, rising to a projected 94 per cent by 2026. This is good for enterprise, however this is additionally good for the enterprise of fraud. The nation, with a inhabitants of lower than 6 million, was hit by 32 million cyber-crimes in the earlier yr, in accordance to a new report — that makes it a mean of greater than 5 cyber-attacks per particular person in Singapore.

Ever progressive, the cyber-criminals are coming at Singapore residents and residents in varied methods. One such method is reaching the focused sufferer’s pockets by their abdomen. Take the innocuous consolation meals favorite: pizza. Ordering pizza on-line, paying in advance, after which ready for the scrumptious deal with to arrive — this is what folks everywhere in the world do with out a second thought. But in Singapore, making an attempt to eat pizza might imply letting scammers take a chew out of 1’s purse.

Fake web site rip-off

A Singapore Police Force (SPF) media assertion issued in December 2023 stated: “The Police would love to alert members of the general public to a new variant of phishing rip-off which includes fake Domino’s Pizza web sites that had been surfaced by way of ads on on-line search engines like google. Between 25 November and 6 December 2023, seven victims have fallen prey to this variant with losses amounting to round S$27,000.”

“Phishing” is precisely what it seems like — “fishing”; in this case, fraudsters fishing for potential victims.

Its definition, in accordance to the US-based digital communications know-how conglomerate Cisco, is: “Phishing assaults are the apply of sending fraudulent communications that seem to come from a respected supply. It is normally carried out by e mail. The aim is to steal delicate knowledge like bank card and login info, or to set up malware on the sufferer’s machine. Phishing is a widespread sort of cyber-attack that everybody ought to find out about in order to shield themselves.”

This sort of cyber-attack normally invitations an e-mail recipient to click on on a hyperlink which then takes the sufferer to a fraudulent web site resembling a real web site. Evidently, it’s additionally potential to pull victims into a fraudulent web site by search engine outcomes.

Singapore Police defined the pizza rip-off: “In these circumstances, victims reported falling prey to [a] phishing rip-off once they looked for ‘Domino’s Pizza’ on on-line search engine and clicked on an commercial in the search outcomes. These phishing web sites could resemble the real web site of Domino’s Pizza, together with bearing comparable URLs (e.g., domino-plza.com; order.domino.piza.com) and web site layouts.

“Victims would place an order by the phishing rip-off web sites and disclose their bank card particulars to make cost. Victims would realise that they’d been scammed after they had been notified or found unauthorised card transactions made on their debit/bank cards.”

Sometimes the phishing bait is pizza; generally it is a low-cost live performance ticket. The Singapore Police Force, which retains posting consciousness messages on social media, alerted the general public by a video, with the textual content: “Be cautious when shopping for live performance tickets from on-line third-party resellers.”

With a sequence of live shows slated to be held in Singapore in 2024, this is one warning the general public want to take very severely, particularly for these can-you-believe-it last-minute offers. As they are saying: “If it appears to be like too good to be true, then it most likely is.”

Impersonation rip-off

Even earlier than the victims of the fake Domino’s Pizza web site rip-off might come to grips with the massive losses they’d suffered — practically SGD 4,000 on a mean per sufferer — the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Police Force issued a joint advisory on December 21, 2023, about an impersonation rip-off.

The advisory stated: “The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) warn the general public on a Government Official Impersonation Scam variant, the place scammers purportedly declare to be from, or be appearing on behalf of, MAS. Since January 2023, there have been not less than 41 victims, with complete losses amounting to not less than $2.6 million.”

Explaining the modus operandi to alert the general public, the joint SPF-MAS advisory listed the steps of this rip-off:

Scam step 1: “Victims would obtain unsolicited calls from scammers impersonating financial institution officers and requesting for verification of banking transactions allegedly carried out by them. When victims denied making such transactions or possessing such financial institution playing cards, the scammer would switch the decision to a second scammer claiming to be an officer from the MAS.”

Scam step 2: “This second scammer would accuse victims of being concerned in felony actions (e.g., cash laundering, fraud). Victims could also be transferred to a third scammer pretending to be an SPF officer for ‘additional investigation’.”

Scam step 3: “Under varied pretexts (e.g., investigation, resetting bank card magnetic stripe, processing of ‘authorities insurance coverage coverage’), scammers would instruct victims to switch cash to ‘safety accounts’ — specified financial institution accounts supposedly designated by SPF, MAS or different authorities, or request for victims’ banking credentials, bank card particulars, or One-Time Passwords (OTPs).”

Scam step 4: “Victims would realise that they’d been scammed when culprits grow to be uncontactable or once they subsequently confirm their scenario with the banks or with the SPF by official channels.”

Clarifying that “MAS and SPF officers won’t ever ask members of the general public to switch monies, or for the management of their financial institution accounts or Internet banking credentials”, the advisory urged folks not to disclose any checking account or card particulars to a caller and by no means to share an OTP.

Deepfake rip-off

As know-how evolves, so do scams. Powered by Artificial Intelligence, deepfakes have gotten one of many largest issues of the twenty first century world. It is potential to tarnish reputations, unfold misinformation, or commit the digital model of daylight theft utilizing deepfakes.

A CNA report in early December 2023 stated: “Deepfakes in Singapore have jumped 5 occasions in the final yr alone, and authorities have warned that the know-how could possibly be misused to commit cybercrimes.”

Deepfake know-how is an especially superior sort of morphing, so superior that it’s subsequent to inconceivable to inform the digitally manipulated fake picture, video, or sound other than the actual factor. It’s not nearly slicing out Mark Zuckerberg’s head from a photograph and putting it on another person’s shoulders. It’s about making the deepfake Zuckerberg so convincing that the common particular person would possibly get very simply conned.

A Straits Times report in June 2023 stated: “Scammers are tapping subtle Artificial Intelligence (AI) instruments to create deepfake voice recordings and movies of individuals, to idiot their family and pals into transferring cash.”

This report quoted Singapore Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling as saying, “We have already seen abroad examples of unhealthy actors making use of deepfake know-how to create convincing clones — whether or not voice or movies of public figures — to unfold disinformation.” The minister was talking on the Regional Anti-Scam Conference 2023, held on the Police Cantonment Complex.

Even if rip-off targets should not themselves fooled by deepfakes, they are often blackmailed or exploited in different methods, because the digitally manipulated photos and movies could seem plausible to others.

A horrified Singapore girl came upon in July 2019 that her innocent selfie had ended up on a porn web site — in the deepfake image, she was bare.

A Singapore man fell prey to deepfake tech in April 2022 after refusing to be blackmailed for SGD 8,000 by a hacker — pals and former colleague on his hacked contact record received a video exhibiting the person (or somebody along with his face) performing sexual acts.

Protection in opposition to rip-off

There’s no telling which route a scammer would take, however some safety is inside attain for potential victims. The police advise Singapore folks to obtain the ‘ScamDefend’ app, as an all-purpose defend in opposition to varied sorts of scams. This app helps one filter suspicious messages and block calls, limiting fraudsters’ entry to their targets.

Moreover, following the fake Domino’s Pizza web site rip-off and the MAS-SPF rip-off, government-issued advisories requested the general public to do the next:

● ADD – ‘ScamDefend’ app and security measures (e.g. arrange transaction limits for Internet banking transactions, allow Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Multifactor Authentication for banks).

● CHECK – For rip-off indicators with official sources (e.g. ScamDefend WhatsApp bot @ https://go.gov.sg/scamshield-bot; name the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688; or go to www.scamalert.sg).

Look out for tell-tale indicators of a phishing web site and if the deal is too good to be true, it most likely is. Check with the corporate on its official web site if such offers can be found and test your card transactions earlier than approving them. If in doubt, by no means share your private info and cost card particulars with anybody.

● TELL – Authorities, household, and pals about scams. Report any fraudulent transactions to your financial institution instantly.

Reporting a rip-off

In addition, the federal government advisories knowledgeable Singapore folks on how to report a rip-off: “If you’ve got any info relating to such crimes or if you’re in doubt, please name the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it on-line at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All info might be saved strictly confidential. If you require pressing Police help, please dial ‘999’.

“For extra info on scams, members of the general public can go to www.scamalert.sg or name the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Fighting scams is a neighborhood effort. Together, we will ACT Against Scams to safeguard our neighborhood!”