Pierluigi Paganini
September 12, 2024
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) arrested five Chinese nationals, aged 32 to 42, and a 34-year-old Singaporean man for the alleged involvement in illegal cyber activities in the country. On 9 September 2024, around 160 officers from various Singapore Police Force units conducted raids across the island, leading to the arrests and the seizure of electronic devices and cash. The six men are believed to be linked to a global cybercrime syndicate.
One of the Chinese nationals was arrested on Bidadari Park Drive, the police seized a laptop containing credentials for accessing hacker group servers. The law enforcement seized a total of five laptops, six mobile phones, over S$24,000 in cash, and cryptocurrency worth approximately USD $850,000. Three other Chinese nationals were arrested on Mount Sinai Avenue.
The police found a RAT malware (e.g., PlugX) on the laptop of one of the suspects.
A third man possessed laptops with unauthorized personal data from foreign sources, and the police seized over S$52,000 in cash.
A 35-year-old man had hacking tools and was preparing for cyber-attacks, with laptops, phones, and S$2,600 in cash confiscated.
Another Chinese national was arrested at a condominium on Cairnhill Road for allegedly attempting to purchase illegally obtained personal information. Police seized a laptop, nine mobile phones, and S$465,000 in cash. The 34-year-old Singaporean man was arrested at his Hougang Avenue residence for suspected involvement in aiding these illegal cyber activities.
The five Chinese nationals will be charged in court on 10 September 2024 for offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1993. Unauthorised access to computer materials can result in a fine of up to $5,000, two years’ imprisonment, or both. Other charges include retaining or offering to supply unauthorized personal information and retaining software used for offences, each punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, three years’ imprisonment, or both.
A 34-year-old Singaporean man will also face charges for abetting unauthorized access to websites. All the suspects will remain in custody as investigations continue into their local contacts and ties to a global cybercrime syndicate.
“All six men will be remanded for further investigations as the Police continue to investigate into their local network of contacts, and the global syndicate to which they are linked.” reads the press release published by Singapore Police Force. “We have zero tolerance of the use of Singapore to conduct criminal activities, including illegal cyber activities. We will deal severely with perpetrators.”
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