Latest news with #CybercrimeCommand
Independent Singapore
7 days ago
- Independent Singapore
Police arrest man who tried to hack into RedeemSG to access vouchers
Screengrab/RedeemSG SINGAPORE: In a statement on Sunday (Aug 10), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that a 39-year-old man had been arrested for his suspected involvement in a hacking attempt on the Government's digital voucher system, RedeemSG. The team from RedeemSG filed a report with the police on Jul 28, 2025, regarding multiple suspicious attempts to access voucher links on its portal. Fortunately, these attempts had been unsuccessful, with no vouchers compromised. Upon conducting follow-up investigations, police officers from the Cybercrime Command under the Criminal Investigation Department were able to establish the identity of the man suspected of trying to hack into ReddeemSG on the same day the police report was filed. He was arrested on the following day. The laptop he used in his hacking attempt was seized by the police for further investigations. The man is now under investigation for the offence of Attempted Unauthorised Access to Computer Material under Section 3(1) read with Section 12 of the Computer Misuse Act 1993. If he is found guilty, he could be facing a jail term of as long as two years, be made to pay a fine as high as S$5,000, or both. The SPF added that investigations into the man's doings are still ongoing. 'The Police take a serious view of any unauthorised access to Government systems. Anyone found to be involved in such activities will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law,' the Public Affairs Department of the SPF added. In related news, a man claimed last month that a sizable portion of his SG60 vouchers had been spent by someone else. He filed a police report, and the matter was investigated. According to a Jul 13 report in Shin Min Daily News, someone else had used more than S$400 of the SG60 vouchers belonging to the household of a certain Mr Li, which had received a total of S$800 in vouchers. What is RedeemSG? RedeemSG's voucher system was developed by Open Government Products, GovTech. It serves to digitize vouchers for recipients, while at the same time making it easier for merchants to accept vouchers issued by the Government. The system also works for Government agencies and charities, facilitating the launch and management of voucher campaigns. Screengrab/ RedeemSG RedeemSG is used by several Government agencies, including the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Public Utilities Board—Singapore's National Water Agency, and the People's Association (PA) for the CDC Voucher scheme. More information about RedeemSG may be found here . /TISG Read also: Police investigate after someone else spends S$400+ of family's SG60 vouchers () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
AsiaOne
7 days ago
- AsiaOne
Man arrested for trying to hack RedeemSG portal to access vouchers, Singapore News
A 39-year-old man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in a hacking attempt on RedeemSG, the Government's digital voucher system. According to a statement by the police on Sunday (Aug 10), the RedeemSG team lodged a police report on July 28 after detecting multiple suspicious attempts to access voucher links on the RedeemSG portal. The attempts were all unsuccessful and no vouchers were compromised, said the police. Officers from the Cybercrime Command managed to swiftly identify the suspect and arrest him within a day of the report being lodged. The suspect's laptop, used for the suspected hacking, was seized during his arrest and is being used for further investigations. The man is currently being investigated for the offence of Attempted Unauthorised Access to Computer Material under Section 3(1) read with Section 12 of the Computer Misuse Act 1993. If convicted, he will face a jail term of up to two years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Police investigations are ongoing. [[nid:716497]]
New Paper
10-08-2025
- New Paper
Man who tried to hack RedeemSG arrested
A 39-year-old man was arrested for his suspected involvement in a hacking attempt on RedeemSG, the Government's digital voucher system. A police report was lodged by the RedeemSG team on July 28, following multiple suspicious attempts to access voucher links on its portal. The attempts were unsuccessful and no vouchers were compromised, the police said in a statement on Aug 10. Within a day of the report, officers from the Cybercrime Command under the Criminal Investigation Department identified the man and arrested him on July 29. Authorities also seized a laptop which was used in committing the offence for further investigation. The man is currently being investigated for the offence of attempted unauthorised access to computer material under the Computer Misuse Act. If found guilty, he may face a jail term of up to two years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Police investigations are ongoing.
The Star
12-07-2025
- The Star
More national servicemen may be recruited to tackle scams: Singapore Police
SINGAPORE: While many full-time national servicemen (NSFs) train in dense forests or patrol bustling streets, a special group of them wages an online war against scams. Known as national service cybercrime operators (NSCOs), they trawl social media for scammers and block scam websites from public access. There are 10 NSFs in this new vocation, which was introduced in 2024 to bolster Singapore's fight against the scam scourge. That year, scam victims lost a record $1.1 billion. A police spokeswoman said the Singapore Police Force plans to continue expanding the NSCO vocation to support more anti-cybercrime efforts across its units. A member from its pioneer batch, Special Constable (SC) Irfan Daniyal Mohammad Shaarin, 21, likened scouring social media for scam activity to being a hunter in a jungle. SC Irfan said: 'Once I start the clock, it's free range for me. I will proactively seek out anyone and anything I can find that fits our criteria for taking down these accounts.' SC Irfan and his colleague, SC Tan De Xun, 22, spoke to The Straits Times on July 9 at the Police Cantonment Complex about their experiences. Special Constable Tan De Xun, 22, who works at the Threat Intelligence Centre under the police's Cybercrime Command, helps officers identify and disrupt scam websites. - Photo: Lianhe Zaobao Both have a diploma in information technology, and did not expect to serve the nation this way. SC Tan thought he would be an administrative clerk, as most of his friends received such postings. But he was invited to undergo an aptitude test and interview for the new vocation, and was accepted. SC Tan said: 'I felt like I hit the jackpot.' The police said selection and assessment for the vocation are done during the Police Officer Basic Course, where suitable police NSFs are selected based on their aptitude and skill sets. SC Tan, who works at the Threat Intelligence Centre under the police's Cybercrime Command, helps officers identify and disrupt scam websites. Examples include scammers impersonating celebrities and political leaders to sell cryptocurrency, or fraudulent imitations of banking sites. One morning, SC Tan's team detected a fake bank website phishing for customers' internet banking details. They blocked it within minutes, before internet activity increased during the morning rush hour. SC Tan, who will be pursuing a university degree in business artificial intelligence systems, said: 'My time here is quite fulfilling, because being able to block or disrupt these websites, I'm protecting local residents from being exposed to them.' At the Anti-Scam Command, SC Irfan scours social media for scam activity such as accounts impersonating those of government officials. He then works with police officers to alert the respective social media platforms, which are obliged under the Online Criminal Harms Act to act promptly. Common scams he deals with include fraudulent social media posts linked to CDC vouchers, which lure users to click on phishing links. In February, the police warned the public to be wary of such scams, noting that victims may come across Instagram posts that prompt them to claim their CDC vouchers via a fake RedeemSG link. SC Irfan said the challenge of cyber combat is dealing with scam accounts which pop up repeatedly. He said: 'Fighting scammers is like killing a hydra. You take down one head, two more appear. 'Whenever I take down a scam account, a few days later, or maybe even in a few hours, I would see another account with a very similar name.' But having witnessed his family members and friends fall prey to other scams, SC Irfan said he does not want others to experience the same ordeal. He added: 'I don't like to see people I care about feel helpless. So, my solution is to work directly in the area that might affect more of them in the future.' SC Irfan, whose childhood dream was to be a police officer, added: 'Even though I'm not down (on the ground) patrolling or fighting criminals in operations, I am doing what I can with my capabilities.' - The Straits Times/ANN
New Paper
12-07-2025
- New Paper
More NSFs may be deployed to fight scams online, say police
While many full-time national servicemen (NSFs) train in dense forests or patrol bustling streets, a special group of them wages an online war against scams. Known as National Service Cybercrime Operators (NSCOs), they trawl social media for scammers and block scam websites from public access. There are 10 NSFs in this new vocation, which was introduced in 2024 to bolster Singapore's fight against the scam scourge. That year, scam victims lost a record $1.1 billion. A police spokeswoman said it plans to continue expanding the NSCO vocation to support more anti-cybercrime efforts across its units. A member from its pioneer batch, Special Constable (SC) Irfan Daniyal Mohammad Shaarin, 21, likened scouring social media for scam activity to being a hunter in a jungle. SC Irfan said: "Once I start the clock, it's free range for me. I will proactively seek out anyone and anything I can find that fits our criteria for taking down these accounts." SC Irfan and his colleague SC Tan De Xun, 22, spoke to The Straits Times on July 9 at the Police Cantonment Complex about their experiences. Both have a diploma in information technology, and did not expect to serve the nation this way. SC Tan thought he would be an administrative clerk, as most of his friends received such postings. But he was invited to undergo an aptitude test and interview for the new vocation, and was accepted. SC Tan said: "I felt like I hit the jackpot." The police said selection and assessment for the vocation are done during the Police Officer Basic Course, where suitable police NSFs are selected based on their aptitude and skill sets. SC Tan, who works at the Threat Intelligence Centre under the police's Cybercrime Command, helps officers identify and disrupt scam websites. Examples include those impersonating celebrities and political leaders to sell cryptocurrency, or fraudulent imitations of banking sites. One morning, SC Tan's team detected a fake bank website phishing for customers' Internet banking details. They blocked it within minutes, before Internet activity increased during the morning rush hour. SC Tan, who will be pursuing a university degree in business artificial intelligence systems, said: "My time here is quite fulfilling, because being able to block or disrupt these websites, I'm protecting local residents from being exposed to them." SC Tan De Xun, 22, who works at the Threat Intelligence Centre under the police's Cybercrime Command, helps officers identify and disrupt scam websites. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO At the Anti-Scam Command, SC Irfan scours social media for scam activity such as accounts impersonating government officials. He then works with police officers to alert the respective social media platforms, which are obliged under the Online Criminal Harms Act to act promptly. A common scam he deals with are fraudulent social media posts linked to CDC vouchers, which lure users to click on phishing links. In February, the police warned members of the public to be cautious of such scams, noting victims may come across Instagram posts that prompt them to claim their CDC vouchers via a fake RedeemSG link. SC Irfan said the challenge of cyber combat is dealing with scam accounts which pop up repeatedly. He said: "Fighting scammers is like killing a hydra. You take down one head, two more appear. "Whenever I take down a scam account, a few days later, or maybe even in a few hours, I would see another account with a very similar name." But having witnessed his family members and friends fall prey to other scams, SC Irfan said he does not want others to experience the same ordeal. He added: "I don't like to see people I care about feel helpless. So, my solution is to work directly in the area that might affect more of them in the future." SC Irfan, whose childhood dream was to be a police officer, added: "Even though I'm not down (on the ground) patrolling or fighting criminals in operations, I am doing what I can with my capabilities."
