SINGAPORE: A person spent as much as 12 hours a day driving round Singapore with a tool in his automotive that despatched messages to 1000’s of close by cell phones, believing that he was serving to to advertise unlawful on-line playing.
Nonetheless, the gadget, referred to as an SMS blaster, was actually transmitting phishing messages meant to trick telephone customers into offering their WhatsApp login particulars via a fraudulent webpage. Third events may then use the knowledge to take over WhatsApp accounts.
Ong Kak Seng, who was closely in debt, continued doing the job for cash after he came upon concerning the rip-off. He even warned his personal sister about phishing messages when he visited her with the SMS blaster in his automotive.Â
The gadget mimicked a cell community to push messages to telephones inside its vary.
Ong, a 28-year-old Malaysian, was sentenced to 1 12 months and 9 months’ jail and a S$1,500 fantastic on Monday (Sep 14).Â
He pleaded responsible to a cost of dishonest as a part of a felony conspiracy. He’ll serve yet one more week in jail if he fails to pay the fantastic.
Two different expenses had been considered for sentencing. One was for inflicting a pc to carry out a perform with the intention of committing an offence, and the opposite for retaining a tool to commit an offence.
HOW HE GOT INVOLVEDÂ
Round 2023, Ong first acquired to know a person known as “Bai Ge” whereas tasked by somebody to gather debt repayments from him. The 2 later grew to become associates.
Two years later, in October 2025, Bai Ge realized that Ong owed unlicensed moneylenders round RM80,000, or S$24,900 (US$19,650). He provided Ong the possibility to earn RM1,000 a day.
In trade, Ong must drive round densely populated areas in Singapore or Hong Kong for 10 to 12 hours a day with a tool in his automotive.
Bai Ge additionally advised Ong a couple of “boss” in China who specialised in working SMS blasters and disseminating messages via them.
Court docket paperwork acknowledged that Ong believed the SMS blaster gadget can be used to disseminate messages selling unlawful on-line playing platforms to folks within the neighborhood.
He knew the work was unlawful as a result of the sum provided by Bai Ge was virtually 10 instances what legit drivers earned in Malaysia.
Ong selected to work in Singapore in order that he may use his personal automotive. In Hong Kong, he must lease a automotive, which might eat into his earnings.
He then headed to Bai Ge’s dwelling in Malaysia to discover ways to assemble an SMS blaster from its elements, together with batteries, an antenna, wires and distant controls.
On Oct 11, 2025, Ong travelled to Singapore and met somebody who handed him the SMS blaster’s elements. He assembled the gadget the following day and positioned it behind his automotive.
Ong then purchased two cell phones, certainly one of which he used to function the SMS blaster.
Between Oct 13 and Nov 18, 2025, Ong drove round Singapore for between 10 and 12 hours day by day, with the SMS blaster gadget and elements positioned behind his automotive.
He hid the blaster by inserting a cardboard field over it.
PROTECTED HIS OWN SISTER
After a couple of days of driving, Ong found that the gadget was transmitting WhatsApp account phishing messages to folks within the neighborhood.
On Oct 15, 2025, he went to go to his sister in Singapore.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ong Xin Jie stated: “Because the accused knew that his sister may obtain the WhatsApp account phishing messages transmitted by the SMS blaster gadget in his motorcar, the accused knowledgeable his sister to not go to any webpage on any WhatsApp or textual content messages that she acquired.
“The accused did in order he knew the messages transmitted by the SMS blaster gadget had been a part of a coordinated effort designed to rip-off people into delivering cash to 3rd events.
“The accused moreover knew that his sister was weak to falling prey to such scams, as she had beforehand been a sufferer of a rip-off.”
Throughout his time in Singapore, Ong met one other individual whom he understood was additionally driving round Singapore for a similar function.
MORE THAN 31,000 PHONES WITHIN RANGE
Between October and November 2025, the police acquired experiences of suspicious WhatsApp or textual content messages. Between Nov 18 and 19, cops performed an islandwide operation to apprehend these concerned in sending the phishing messages.
Ong was arrested on Nov 18.
His automotive and lodgings had been searched, and the gadget was seized. Â
Ong stated that he acquired RM5,000 for his providers earlier than he was arrested.
The authorities analysed the contents of the seized SMS blaster gadget and located that at the very least 31,820 cell phones had fallen inside its space of protection, and 10,533 WhatsApp account phishing messages had been efficiently despatched to cell units through the interval that Ong was working it.
A minimum of one police report concerned a sufferer who reported a lack of about S$1,800 after being led to switch cash to a checking account managed by a 3rd occasion.
SCAM OFFENCES A MAJOR CONCERN
The prosecution sought between 21 and 25 months’ jail and a fantastic of RM5,000, equal to the quantity that the offender benefited from his crime.
The prosecutor stated that the potential for hurt was excessive, referring to the variety of WhatsApp phishing messages that had been despatched, however famous that the precise quantity misplaced from the scams was not excessive.
“Nonetheless, we word that there could have been different victims that haven’t but come ahead,” the prosecutor stated, including that the police’s advisory on such scams, launched on Nov 20, 2025, could have helped in stopping extra losses.
He additionally highlighted the syndicated and transnational nature of the crime as aggravating components.
Ong had displayed a component of sophistication in assembling and working the SMS blaster, the prosecution famous.
Rip-off-related offences stay a “main and fast-growing crime of concern in Singapore”, the prosecutor stated.
“When members of transnational crime syndicates are apprehended, the suitable response is the unflinching imposition of appropriately stiff sentences in coping with transgression.”
POTENTIAL HARM, ACTUAL HARMÂ
Ong’s lawyer, Ms Claire Chong from regulation agency Chooi Jing Yen, argued for not more than 18 months’ jail.
She stated that her consumer used to work on a farm earlier than getting into a pawn-related enterprise in Malaysia. He accrued substantial money owed as a consequence of playing.
On the offence, Ms Chong famous that though 10,533 phishing messages had been despatched, the precise hurt recognized concerned one sufferer.
“A transmitted message is just not equal to a accomplished occasion of dishonest. Nor does the proof set up that each transmitted message was acquired, learn, believed or acted upon,” Ms Chong stated.
“The disparity between the potential and precise hurt is subsequently stark,” she added.
She cautioned towards speculating that there may have been different victims who had not stepped ahead, because the prosecution had steered.
“The prosecution can’t introduce new aggravating info past the admitted info via its submissions on sentence.
“Additional, on condition that the messages had been transmitted in October to November 2025, it’s extremely unlikely that any additional victims will come ahead now, in the event that they haven’t already,” Ms Chong stated.
She additionally argued that though the gadget required some technical information in meeting and operation, Mr Ong had not deliberate or devised a complicated scheme.
“Mr Ong plugged issues right into a machine and positioned this in his automotive. He coated the SMS blaster gadget with a cardboard field. All of this was carried out in accordance with directions and educating from Bai Ge. This was not, by any means, subtle.”
For dishonest, Ong may have been jailed for as much as 10 years and fined.Â