2 men, both aged 27, to be charged in S'pore for suspected involvement in WhatsApp phishing scams

Two 27-year-old men will be charged in Singapore on Nov. 20, 2025, following their suspected involvement in phishing scams targeting WhatsApp users.

They are suspected of being part of a transnational syndicate carrying out WhatsApp phishing scams in Singapore, according to a police news release.

Their arrests occurred following an island-wide operation on Nov. 18 and 19 by officers from the Police Intelligence Department and Commercial Affairs Department.

Police reports made

This comes after the police received several reports in October 2025.

Victims would receive unsolicited SMSes informing them of issues with their WhatsApp account due to prolonged lack of verification.

The victims would then be prompted to verify their accounts through a phishing link that leads to a fake WhatsApp webpage.

When victims entered their mobile number and verification code on the fake WhatsApp webpage, their WhatsApp account would be taken over by scammers.

These scammers would then send fraudulent loan requests to the victims' contacts.

Victims would only realise that they had been scammed when they were logged out of their WhatsApp accounts, found unknown devices linked to their accounts, or when they were notified by their contacts on the fraudulent loan requests.

One victim lost around S$1,823.

Big scam

Preliminary investigations revealed that the two men were allegedly involved in sending mass SMSes to more than 7,000 random phone users in Singapore.

This was done to deceive victims into providing their mobile number and verification code on the fake WhatsApp webpage.

The fraudulently obtained WhatsApp accounts were then used to solicit fraudulent loan requests.

During the operations, the police seized multiple network-related telecommunication devices, mobile phones and a Malaysia-registered car.

Penalties

The two men will be charged for abetment to facilitating unauthorised access to computer material under the Computer Misuse Act 1993.

If convicted, they are liable to a fine of up to S$5,000, up to two years' jail, or both, for first-time offenders.

Precautionary measures

Users who suspect that their WhatsApp account has been compromised should contact WhatsApp for recovery of their accounts.

Members of the public are advised to add the ScamShield app to block scam calls and filter scam messages.

They can also set up a two-step verification feature on WhatsApp and check the authenticity of the clickable link and webpage address for discrepancy via the ScamShield app.

WhatsApp users should also be alert to unusual requests received over WhatsApp, even if they were sent by WhatsApp contacts and always verify with the sender by calling them via non-WhatsApp calls to ensure that their WhatsApp accounts were not compromised, and remove any linked device that they do not recognise.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

Anyone with information on such scams may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Top photos from Singapore Police Force