Singapore Police Arrested 10 Scammers Involved in a Fraud Targeting Android Users
Read also: Chinese national charged in Australia for a $100M online investment scam, Australia busts an international card skimming syndicate, and more.
Thursday, August 17, 2023
10 suspects linked to Android malware scam arrested in Singapore
Singapore police have apprehended 10 suspects, including a minor, allegedly involved in a fraud operation targeting Android users. The arrests were made as part of an island-wide anti-scam enforcement effort carried out between 31 July 2023 and 11 August 2023.
According to the authorities, the gang used malicious ads on Facebook and other social media platforms to trick users into downloading Android malware that stole money from victims’ bank accounts. The scammers then would delete SMS and email notifications of the bank transfers to conceal their tracks.
The suspects were charged with acquiring benefits from criminal conduct, deceiving banks and cheating. They could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
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LolekHosted bulletproof hosting dismantled, 5 key admins arrested
The Polish authorities have shut down a notorious bulletproof hosting service LolekHosted that helped cybercriminals to distribute malware, including the NetWalker ransomware, launch DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks, carry out scam operations and manage botnets.
As part of the law enforcement operation, five administrators of the service were arrested. In addition to the arrests, all LolekHosted’s servers were seized.
Separately, the US authorities have charged Polish national Artur Karol Grabowski, 36, for allegedly operating the bulletproof service. Grabowsky was charged with computer fraud conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, and international money laundering. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Two Nigerian nationals accused of running a ‘sextortion’ ring extradited to the US
Two Nigerian brothers, Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi, charged with operating an international sextortion ring have been extradited to the United States from Nigeria.
According to the court documents, the two brothers impersonated women on social media sites using compromised social media accounts to trick young men and teenagers into sending them nude photos of themselves so they could blackmail the victims. More than 100 people are said to have fallen victim to scammers.
Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi were arrested in Nigeria in January 2023. The men were charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to commit stalking through the Internet. Additionally, Samuel Ogoshi was charged with causing the death of a 17-year-old Michigan boy, who shot himself in March 2022, for which the defendant could face a life sentence.
The AFP busts an international ATM card skimming syndicate
A joint operation carried out by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), New South Wales Police and Queensland Police has resulted in the arrest of five Romanian and Polish nationals allegedly involved in an international ATM card skimming ring targeted by the US Secret Service in May 2023.
The gang used ATM skimmers to clone the victims' electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card details and PIN codes. Then they would re-encode the cloned bank cards at the beginning of each month to visit ATMs and withdraw the newly loaded funds.
The AFP, which started its investigation following a report from the US authorities, found that the suspected gang members were operating in Australia and had received several packages with ATM skimmers from the UK, China, and the US. During searches, the police confiscated roughly $13,000 in cash, skimming devices, electronic equipment, card readers, and SIM cards.
A Chinese national charged in Australia for a $100M online investment scam
Australian police charged a Chinese national for participation in a sophisticated online investment scam targeting mainly the US, estimated to have caused more than $100 million in losses worldwide.
In December 2022, the AFP arrested four Chinese nationals believed to be part of a cybercrime group that used a slew of social engineering techniques like dating apps, employment sites and messaging platforms to fool victims into making an investment via online trading platforms altered to show false positive return on investments.
Now, the police arrested a sixth Chinese national in connection to the case. The 34-year-old man was allegedly operating bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets to transfer funds believed to be obtained via criminal activities offshore. The man was apprehended after he was caught using the compromised accounts on CCTV.
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Key Dutch has been working in information technology and cybersecurity for over 20 years, starting his first job with Windows 95 and dial-up modems. As the Editor-in-Chief of our Cybercrime Prosecution Weekly blog series, he compiles the most interesting news about police operations against cybercrime, as well as about regulatory actions enforcing data protection and privacy law. 
