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At least 11 people lost $403k in a month to fake Sheng Siong, FairPrice app scams

Images of the fake FairPrice Group app and a conversation between a victim and a scammer. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

Correspondent

Updated

SINGAPORE – There is a variant of malware scams that involves fake Sheng Siong and FairPrice Group mobile applications, the police warned on Friday.

At least 11 people have lost a total of $403,000 or more since September, the police added.

In such cases, the victims click on online advertisements – many of which are posted on Facebook – promoting food items such as rice, cookies and ducks.

They will then be directed to the WhatsApp messaging platform, where the “sellers” tell them to download an Android Package Kit (APK) over WhatsApp, so they can place their orders.

The victims may also be told to download the APK via third-party websites, instead of an official app store such as Google Play Store. The downloaded app will resemble the FairPrice Group or Sheng Siong app.

After the APK file is downloaded and installed, the scammers will gain remote access to the victims’ devices, letting them steal passwords and retrieve banking credentials.

Next, the victims will be instructed to make a PayNow or bank transfer to pay for their orders, sign up as members or pay for deliveries. They will discover unauthorised transactions from their bank accounts.

The police advised those who downloaded and installed such apps or suspect their phones have been infected with malware to take the following steps:

Turn your phone to flight mode. Ensure that its Wi-Fi is switched off.
Run an antivirus scan on the phone.
Use another device to check bank, Singpass and CPF accounts for any unauthorised transactions.
Report unauthorised transactions to the bank and relevant authorities, and lodge a police report.
As a further precaution, do a factory reset of your phone and change important passwords.

The police also urged the public to adopt the following measures:

Add the ScamShield and antivirus applications to your device, and ensure its operating system and applications are updated regularly.
Disable “Install Unknown App” or “Unknown Sources” in your phone settings, and do not grant permission to pop-ups that request for access to your device’s hardware or data.
Check for signs of scams with official sources such as the ScamShield WhatsApp bot, the Anti-Scam Helpline on 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg
Download and install applications from only official app stores, such as the Google Play Store for Android users. Be wary if you are asked to download unknown apps to buy items or services on social media platforms.
Report suspicious content or advertisements on social media sites. Block and report numbers linked to scams on WhatsApp.
Report fraudulent transactions to banks immediately.