Tech support scam: Singaporean arrested in Hong Kong money laundering case in joint police-Interpol operation

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 — A 23-year-old Singaporean man was among eight people arrested for involvement in a transnational money laundering syndicate operating in Hong Kong.

According to The Straits TimesIn a statement issued by the Singapore Police Force on August 16, a joint operation between the Hong Kong Police and Interpol had dismantled the network that laundered proceeds from technical support fraud in Singapore and other fraud in Hong Kong.

The transnational money laundering network was linked to a technical support scam that used pop-up messages as a tactic to obtain online banking login details.

It was reported that a pop-up would appear on victims’ laptops or desktops, falsely claiming that their devices were infected with malware. Victims were advised to seek help from scammers posing as Microsoft or Apple tech support representatives.

Victims were then tricked into logging into their online banking accounts under the guise of helping catch “hackers,” allowing the scammers to obtain their banking information and make unauthorized transactions. In some cases, the scammers even directed victims to create cryptocurrency accounts.

David Chew, director of the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), a financial crime investigation agency of the Singapore Police Force, said in a statement that the criminal proceeds from the scam were laundered through Hong Kong.

CNA reported that during raids by Hong Kong police between August 9 and 12, one of the masterminds, three members and three money mules were arrested. The arrested individuals were aged between 33 and 43.

According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the raids were the result of extensive intelligence sharing and joint investigations by police in Singapore and Hong Kong.

“Cash worth HK$300,000 (RM170,600) and more than 60 bank cards were found and seized as evidence,” they added.

In addition, follow-up investigations led to the successful recovery of an additional HK$1.3 million in criminal proceeds.

The 23-year-old Singaporean was arrested after it was discovered that he had transferred his bank account to a criminal group linked to the dismantled money laundering syndicate. The investigation is ongoing.

The Straits Times According to Chew, the transnational tech support fraud syndicate not only targeted Singapore, but also unsuspecting victims in multiple jurisdictions.