SINGAPORE \u2013 At least $20,000 has been lost since November to malware scams involving online sexual services. <\/p>\n
At least six of these cases have been reported in this timeframe, the police said on Dec 3. <\/p>\n
In this scam variant, victims encounter offers of online sexual services via social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Threads.<\/p>\n
Scammers deceive victims into downloading a malicious application under the pretext of initiating a video call, said the police.<\/p>\n
The application allows scammers to remotely access victims\u2019 photo galleries and contact lists in their devices.<\/p>\n
Scammers capture images of victims engaging in sexual acts during the video call, or retrieve compromising content from their photo galleries.<\/p>\n
The scammers then threaten to send the photographs to the victims\u2019 contacts, unless the victims transfer money to the scammers.<\/p>\n
Singapore saw <\/p>\n $456.4 million lost to scams in the first half of 2025<\/p>\n <\/a>, with almost 20,000 cases reported.<\/p>\n In 2024, <\/p>\n scam victims in Singapore lost $1.1 billion<\/p>\n <\/a>, marking a record high in losses suffered in a single year.<\/p>\n Members of the public are advised to install antivirus applications and ensure that these applications are updated to scan for the latest malware.<\/p>\n More information on the recommended list of antivirus applications is available on www.csa.gov.sg<\/p>\n Smartphone users should also ensure Google Play Protect is enabled on their device, and they should not heed scammers\u2019 advice to disable the function, said the police.<\/p>\n They can also disable \u201cInstall Unknown App\u201d or \u201cUnknown Sources\u201d in their phone settings, and not grant persistent pop-ups permission to access their device\u2019s hardware or data.<\/p>\n Those who have already installed a malicious application or suspect their phones are infected with malware are advised to switch their devices to \u201cflight mode\u201d and ensure that Wi-Fi is turned off.<\/p>\n \u201cRun an antivirus scan on your phone, and check your bank account, CPF and Singpass for any unauthorised transactions,\u201d the police said.<\/p>\n