A 70-year-old man in Singapore lost about S$71,000 in just two hours after he clicked on a malicious fake Google Play application on his phone. The man, known as Loo (not his real name), told Shin Min Daily News that he received a call from a DBS Bank staff at around 9am on January 29. The staff informed Loo that multiple transfers of money were made from his account to foreign countries from 3am to 5am, totaling S$71,000. Afterward, only about S$2,000 was left in his account. In the process, Loo lost his S$30,000 pension that he received in January. Additionally, more than S$6,000 was charged to his credit card, which he has not repaid yet.
Loo subsequently reported the matter to the police and handed his phone over to them for investigation. According to a DBS spokesperson, police investigations revealed that Loo’s phone was compromised by malware. This can happen when one downloads applications laced with malware from unauthorized sites. Malware allows hackers to “take control” of a mobile device to perform fraudulent
