If you were one of the victims of the OCBC phishing scam, you’ll be glad to know that 13 suspects have been arrested.
Here are all the details about the arrest.
OCBC Phishing Scam: What Is It?
If you’ve forgotten, the OCBC phishing scams basically took the form of spoofed SMS that provided links to fake OCBC websites. After the victims entered their banking details, the scammers quickly transferred money out of these victims’ accounts.
In all. 790 customers lost a total of $13.7 million to the scams, which happened in December 2021 and January 2022.
Since then, OCBC has stepped up their anti-scam security measures and has made goodwill payouts to victims. The police had also recovered about $2 million and had frozen 121 bank accounts.
Additionally, after the OCBC phishing scams, many scammers took inspiration and started impersonating other banks like DBS, or even government agencies like MINDEF. This rise in scams has prompted government agencies to step up their anti-scam measures as well.
9 Men and 4 Women Aged 19 To 22
The police had been closely monitoring reports of phishing scams since December 2021. Through their investigations, the identities of the 13 suspects were discovered.
Officers from the Criminal Investigation Department arrested the 13 suspects in an islandwide operation on 16 and 17 February. They comprise 9 men and 4 women, all between the ages of 19 to 22.
During the arrests, the police also seized a variety of stuff: a lot of mobile devices, bank cards, SIM cards, $2,760 in cash and two Rolex watches worth $35,600.
Seven Male Suspects Already Charged, Other Six Still Under Investigations
On 18 February, seven male suspects were charged with assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
Basically saying that they helped the mastermind of the scam so that they can get benefits or rewards lah.
As for the other six suspects, investigations are still ongoing.
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The police said that they will do their best to track down anyone who may be involved in scams, and they’ll be dealt with according to the law.
To avoid getting caught up in these crimes, you should always reject requests to use your bank account or mobile number. Even if you didn’t know what the person was using it for, you will still be responsible if your accounts were linked to criminal activity.
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Featured Image: Singapore Police Force and footageclips / shutterstock.com