Singapore
Singapore Police said on 28 October 2026 that, since 10 September, at least two reported cases involving tampered Ledger hardware wallets purchased from some retail stores had caused about S$3.5 million in total losses. Preliminary investigations found malicious hardware components capable of capturing recovery phrases or private keys; police investigations remain ongoing and Ledger is reviewing the cases. If a device may be affected, do not enter a recovery phrase or conduct further transactions on it, and contact the provider through an independently verified official support channel. If a recovery phrase or private key may already be compromised, the police advisory says to consider moving remaining assets using an uncompromised device to a new trusted wallet with a newly generated recovery phrase. These are preliminary findings concerning reported devices, not evidence that all retail hardware wallets are affected.
See evidence →Before committing: verify anyone claiming institutional or government authority and check that your payment access works without an urgent private conversion.
Emergency: police 999; ambulance and fire 995. If unsafe to speak, police emergency SMS is 70999. ScamShield 1799 is for scam assistance. Short codes and SMS may depend on your mobile service; have a voice fallback. [S28] [S29]
What changes the plan here
The day to day environment can encourage people to relax controls. Keep the same visitor, phone and signing rules in a serviced apartment, condominium or hotel that you would use elsewhere. Official advice specifically warns about online and phone scams involving apparent officials or bank employees. [S32]
For conference weeks, pre-arrange meetings, venue verification and transport. A crowded lobby, shared workspace or expensive dinner does not establish who is present or who can overhear. Decline wallet demonstrations and last minute installation requests.
For residents, review condominium access cards, building entry, parcel collection, domestic staff permissions and camera account access. Avoid giving a new helper unrestricted access to family schedules and financial recovery accounts simply to simplify administration.
Crypto and legal checks
Use the MAS Financial Institutions Directory and the Digital Payment Token Service activity filter. Match the legal entity, authorised activity and official contact channel. MAS warns that scammers impersonate regulated institutions. A genuine firm's name in a message does not prove that the sender works for it. [S31]
Check current local rules for business activity, medication and restricted items before arrival. Do not transport drugs or accept packages from acquaintances. Source of funds, account eligibility and withdrawal checks should be resolved through legitimate channels before a transaction is urgent.
A common request to reject
Someone claiming to be a police, bank or government employee asks you to transfer assets for verification, install an unofficial app or continue under secrecy. Singapore police advise that government officials do not request money transfers or bank login details over the phone. Independently verify and contact ScamShield if uncertain. [S30]
Do before arrival: save the correct emergency numbers, confirm financial provider identity, keep a separate recovery method for your phone and brief companions on callback verification.
For a longer stay: practise a home intrusion response, a lost phone response and an unexpected school pickup request. Living in a place with familiar services should make those plans easier to execute, not unnecessary.
Incidents linked to Singapore
4 records naming this city or its districts. Source-reviewed accounts appear first; other leads are labelled.
A Telegram offer. A bag of cash.
PunggolOfficial / primary accountIndexed robbery or physical theft: Hougang
HougangSource-indexed · not reviewedIndexed robbery or physical theft: Lianhe Zaobao
Lianhe ZaobaoSource-indexed · not reviewedA public location is only one part of a meeting plan. It does not verify a counterparty or remove the exposure created by carrying a large amount of cash.
Read the case studyThe map filters to these records but uses a country/region marker, not attack locations.