Latest news with #onlinefraud
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
From teens to seniors, 41 face money mule charges in Singapore
SINGAPORE, June 1 — A total of 41 people, including a teenager, are expected to be charged this week for their alleged roles as money mules or for facilitating scam-related activities, amid rising concern over online fraud in the country. According to The Straits Times, the suspects — 32 men and nine women aged between 16 and 64 — are believed to have been involved in a range of scams, including government official impersonation scams, job scams, rental scams, e-commerce scams, and fake friend call scams. Between June 2 and 6, they are expected to be charged with offences such as assisting others to retain benefits from criminal conduct, abetment to cheating, allowing unauthorised access to computer material, and illegally disclosing passwords or access codes to Singpass, Singapore's national digital identity system. According to police, 35 of the suspects are accused of selling or handing over their personal bank accounts to criminal syndicates, enabling money laundering activities. Some had allegedly deceived banks into opening accounts, only to pass on the ATM cards and internet banking credentials to unknown parties. Others are believed to have unlawfully disclosed their Singpass credentials, which allowed scammers to misuse their identities to open bank accounts. 'Anyone who allows their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others will be held accountable if these transactions are linked to crimes,' the police said. In several cases, suspects were promised commissions of up to S$9,000 (RM30,000) for their bank or Singpass accounts but ultimately received no payment. Under Singapore law, those convicted of helping another person retain criminal proceeds or abet cheating can face up to three years' jail, a fine, or both. Meanwhile, facilitating unauthorised access to computer material carries a sentence of up to two years' jail, a fine, or both. Offenders who illegally disclose Singpass credentials can also be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. The Straits Times reported that Singapore saw a record S$1.1 billion lost to scams in 2024 — about 70 per cent more than the S$651.8 million lost in 2023. Police also recorded 51,501 scam reports in 2024, up from 46,563 the year before. In response to the surge, 230 money mules were charged between August 2024 and March 2025 under stiffer sentencing guidelines introduced on August 21, 2024. All adult offenders received jail terms of at least six months, while offenders below 21 were sent for reformative training.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
From teens to seniors, 41 face money mule charges in Singapore
SINGAPORE, June 1 — A total of 41 people, including a teenager, are expected to be charged this week for their alleged roles as money mules or for facilitating scam-related activities, amid rising concern over online fraud in the country. According to The Straits Times, the suspects — 32 men and nine women aged between 16 and 64 — are believed to have been involved in a range of scams, including government official impersonation scams, job scams, rental scams, e-commerce scams, and fake friend call scams. Between June 2 and 6, they are expected to be charged with offences such as assisting others to retain benefits from criminal conduct, abetment to cheating, allowing unauthorised access to computer material, and illegally disclosing passwords or access codes to Singpass, Singapore's national digital identity system. According to police, 35 of the suspects are accused of selling or handing over their personal bank accounts to criminal syndicates, enabling money laundering activities. Some had allegedly deceived banks into opening accounts, only to pass on the ATM cards and internet banking credentials to unknown parties. Others are believed to have unlawfully disclosed their Singpass credentials, which allowed scammers to misuse their identities to open bank accounts. 'Anyone who allows their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others will be held accountable if these transactions are linked to crimes,' the police said. In several cases, suspects were promised commissions of up to S$9,000 (RM30,000) for their bank or Singpass accounts but ultimately received no payment. Under Singapore law, those convicted of helping another person retain criminal proceeds or abet cheating can face up to three years' jail, a fine, or both. Meanwhile, facilitating unauthorised access to computer material carries a sentence of up to two years' jail, a fine, or both. Offenders who illegally disclose Singpass credentials can also be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. The Straits Times reported that Singapore saw a record S$1.1 billion lost to scams in 2024 — about 70 per cent more than the S$651.8 million lost in 2023. Police also recorded 51,501 scam reports in 2024, up from 46,563 the year before. In response to the surge, 230 money mules were charged between August 2024 and March 2025 under stiffer sentencing guidelines introduced on August 21, 2024. All adult offenders received jail terms of at least six months, while offenders below 21 were sent for reformative training.
Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Times
My hotel booking was a scam — and I can't get my money back
✉ On March 1, I tried to book a stay at the Connemara Lake Hotel in Ireland through but somehow, just before payment, was redirected to a different site and, instead of paying the quoted price of about £400 for three nights, was charged extra fees and paid a total of £710.82. The confirmation email looked legitimate and even the hotel thought it was real at first, but later confirmed it wasn't and cancelled the booking. What's really worrying is I never actually swiped to approve the payment in my Revolut app — as I normally do for all transactions — because the cost had shot up, yet it still went through. Revolut has raised a dispute but it could take 50 days. Can you help me get my money back?Caitriona McCulla Unfortunately, you've fallen victim to an online agent that mimics official hotel and booking sites and charges huge non-refundable service fees on top of the room rate. which is not responsible in any way, suggested you work with your bank to resolve the dispute, but Revolut has now declined to refund you, citing 'compelling evidence' of the transaction from 'the merchant'. The lesson here is that it's essential to double-check the URL when you reach the payment page of any website. A spokesperson said: 'We always advise customers to book directly through the official website or mobile app, and to be cautious when clicking on unfamiliar links. To help, we advise that customers check the destination of the link they are sent, which can usually be seen by hovering over the link with a mouse or by pressing and holding it on a mobile device. Importantly, will never ask customers to provide credit card details via text, messaging apps or email, only requesting payments via our platform.' You are now planning to take your case to the Financial Ombudsman. • The nine ways our Travel Doctor has learnt to avoid holiday scams ✉ I'd like to take my daughter on holiday after her A-levels. We want a hotel by the beach, with a good-sized pool and a bar, within walking distance of restaurants and night markets/shops. The dealbreaker would be having to get up early to reserve sunbeds, so could you suggest somewhere that has a policy of not allowing guests to reserve them? Our budget is £4,000 and we'd like a flight time of less than three hours from Kitching A lovely reward for all that hard work would be a trip to Spain and a stay at the Hotel Alga on the northeastern coast of Catalonia, known for its gorgeous rocky coves and sandy beaches. The Alga has a large, almost Olympic-sized pool, with 30 sunloungers that can't be reserved (it's really not a beach-towels-at-dawn sort of place), and is a short stroll from the beach via a gate in the gardens. It's also just 250m from the little town of Calella, where you'll have a huge choice of restaurants. A week's B&B in a superior balcony room would cost £1,761pp, including flights (and hold luggage) from Stansted to Girona, plus private transfers ( • 17 of the best places to visit in June 2025 ✉ I have the month of July free because my husband is away and I'd like to go somewhere on my own. I prefer sun to snow, spa to yoga, enjoy learning and don't want to be the only single in a group of couples. Finally, I have a Morton's neuroma, which makes walking huge distances painful, but I do enjoy some walking. I'm not particularly cost conscious and enjoy a bit of luxury. Any thoughts?Debra Wood If you have the funds, a solo July trip to Schloss Elmau, in Germany's Bavarian Alps, would be a treat. It's an extraordinary five-star hideaway with a choice of six fabulous spas, and also stages events with a stellar line-up of musicians, artists and writers. Spend your days enjoying indulgent treatments, short nature walks (ideal if you have a Morton's neuroma), author readings, chamber music concerts and excursions to nearby castles and lakes, and look forward to taking your pick of eight restaurants, where there are plenty of comfortable spots for solo diners. A small double room plus breakfast starts at £358 a night in July if you book a week's stay, including access to the spas, daily fitness activities, and excursions and admission to cultural events ( Fly to Innsbruck or Munich. • 10 of the best places to visit in Germany ✉ I'm learning Korean and hoping to take my grandson on a trip to Seoul for an 18th birthday present. Do you have any recommendations for reasonably priced accommodation and any must-sees? We'd like to go for about ten days next year. When would be the best time for us to visit?Diana Nelson This sounds like a brilliant adventure, but as first-timers I'd suggest you go with some back-up and book Inside Asia's Essential South Korea seven-night holiday, using public transport and staying in three-star hotels. It includes a Korean barbecue tour in Seoul; a day exploring Gyeongju, the capital of Korea's ancient Silla Kingdom; a sunset cruise on the Han River; and some time to relax on Busan's white sand Haeundae beach. Seven nights' B&B starts from £1,143pp including two evening tours, airport transfers and train tickets as well as detailed destination guides, and you could tailor-make the trip to add some extra nights. Flights to Seoul are extra ( Spring or autumn are the best times to go. • Read our guide to South Korea ✉ Following the untimely death of my husband I decided to take a short break with a friend to the south of France. I booked a return flight to Marseilles with British Airways for £273, departing May 13, and received what I thought was confirmation. But when I was looking to upgrade my outbound flight at the end of April, I was told there was a problem with my booking, which had been suspended. No reason could be given. BA then told me over the phone that it was cancelling my flight and would refund me in a few days. I said this was unsatisfactory and I wanted my existing booking reinstated. It refused and told me to rebook, but the same flight would now cost me £640. This was an important trip for me (my friend booked separately, fortunately), and I have no idea what the reasoning behind this suspension is. Surely I have the right to claim my existing flight and at the price I originally paid?Victoria Hunt I was sorry to hear that your restorative break was on the verge of collapse. It seems there was a technical glitch (something BA is not a stranger to) and the email you received after your booking wasn't, in fact, a confirmation. But you had no reason to believe otherwise because you continued to receive flight reminders. Fortunately, after I got involved, BA reinstated your flight (at the original price) and gave you some Avios (the airline's reward points) as an apology. Have you got a holiday dilemma? Email traveldoctor@
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Gift hamper scam almost ruins reader's birthday celebrations
Jamie celebrated a birthday recently and was mildly pleased when he got an email purporting to be from Rituals – the beauty and cosmetics retailer – wishing him the best for his big day and offering him a gift to mark the occasion. The catch was he would have to pay a modest sum – of less than €3 – for his present. 'The email had my full name in it and my birthday,' he writes, something which assured him all was well. But not everything was as it seemed. READ MORE 'It was linked to a scam site in India that had replicated the Rituals site and asked for card details to avail of the birthday offer of a hamper for €2. He contacted Rituals after being conned and says that the retailer is 'aware of the scam but have told me there is no evidence of any data leak. I find this very hard to believe as the scam email had both my full name and birthday. And I am a Rituals subscriber. How is this information available to scammers without a data leak? I noted that the pricing was also in euros so they knew I was in Ireland or at least the EU,' he says. He also sent us a copy of the emails he had received from the scammers and Rituals. The scam email looked fairly legit and was full of congratulations. It contained a simple link to a site where he could claim a lavish hamper for what looked like a steal, at a price of €2.35. It was in fact a steal – just not the kind he thought. In the subsequent email from Rituals, the company said that it understood 'how alarming it can be to receive fraudulent emails impersonating our brand. Unfortunately, scammers are using Rituals branding to send fake messages like these around your birthday, where they ask to transfer money. 'We would like to stress that this message is not from us. At Rituals, you indeed receive a birthday gift every year around your birthday. 'Please be aware that we will never ask you to transfer any money for this birthday gift. It is important to not click on any links and never transfer any money.' He was told that scammers 'can get your data through various methods like phishing'. We also contacted Rituals and it confirmed 'that no data breach has occurred at Rituals. This conclusion follows a thorough internal and external investigation, which has been reviewed and confirmed by the Dutch authorities. Based on this, we are confident that the scammers did not obtain personal information such as names or birthdays from our systems.' The statement said it was 'aware that scammers have been misusing the Rituals brand to send fraudulent messages. We have been actively raising awareness to help protect our customers in response to this. Our customers' privacy and security are of the utmost importance, and we communicate that we never ask for money transfers in connection with our birthday gifts.'
Times
25-05-2025
- Times
Cambodian politicians ‘profit from online scammers'
Politicians in Cambodia are supporting and profiting from criminal online scam centres that use trafficked forced labour to trick lonely people in Europe and America, a new report has shown. Its findings support those of United Nations investigators who recently said scam centres continue to grow and spread 'like a cancer' — despite the recent closure of sites in Myanmar and public promises to crack down on them by southeast Asian governments — putting at risk both the people forced to work there and the victims they cheat. 'Cambodia is likely the absolute global epicentre of next-gen transnational fraud in 2025 and is certainly the country most primed for explosive growth going forward,' says the report by the Humanity Research Consultancy (HRC), which campaigns against human trafficking. 'Cambodian state institutions systematically and insidiously support and protect the criminal networks involved in transnational fraud and related human trafficking.' The country is thought to generate as much as $19 billion a year from the scamming industry, equivalent to about 60 per cent of its GDP, eclipsing by far its largest formal sector, the garment and textiles industry. The 'scamdemic' emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic when casinos, deprived of gamblers, encouraged their criminal operators to switch to online scams. They recruited people from across the world, some of whom work willingly and others who are hoodwinked with promises of respectable work and forced into staying with threats and physical violence. Many scam operations engage in what is called 'pig butchering', where lowly operatives, often victims of human trafficking, 'fatten up' their marks by winning their confidence, only for them to be passed on to more senior criminals for 'slaughter', meaning transfers of money, often in the form of untraceable cryptocurrency. Often, the initial approach is made on dating apps, by scammers impersonating available young women to get the phone numbers of lonely western men. 'Just about anyone in the world could fall victim to either the human trafficking or the online scams carried out through these criminal hubs,' said Jürgen Stock, who was the secretary-general of Interpol from 2014-24. Cambodia is likely to host the largest share of the industry, which is concentrated in southeast Asia — Myanmar and Laos also participate significantly. The 'cybercriminal labour force' in the region is estimated to be more than 350,000 people, and generates as much as an estimated $75 billion a year — half of the total economic activity in those host countries. According to the HRC report, by Jacob Sims, a security expert affiliated with Harvard University, senior members of the ruling Cambodian People's Party are deeply involved in the scam industry. Hun To, a cousin of the prime minister, Hun Manet, sits on the board of directors of Huione Group, whose illicit online marketplaces are 'a key piece of infrastructure driving cyber-enabled fraud', according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The deputy prime and interior minister, Sar Sokha, was an investor in the construction of one of the largest scam compounds in the country. 'It spreads like a cancer,' Benedikt Hofmann of UNODC said. 'Authorities treat it in one area, but the roots never disappear; they simply migrate.' A Ministry of Interior spokesman, Touch Sokhak, rejected the report, calling it politically motivated, while asserting that it was 'a tool to blame smaller countries that are technologically weak'.
