SINGAPORE: If you’ve received a Facebook message from a friend asking if you’ve seen a particular video, don’t click on the link – it could be malware. 

Different versions of such viruses and scams have made its rounds over the years, but Facebook Messenger users in Singapore have reported a resurgence in a new round of hoax messages being sent, with many taking to social media over the past week to warn their friends. 

Websites including Hoax Slayer – which is dedicated to debunking email and social media hoaxes – have warned against the rigged video messages, saying that they are designed to steal Facebook account login details or trick victims into installing malware.

“If you get one of these messages from a Facebook friend, it most likely means that your friend’s account has been hijacked,” according to Hoax Slayer. 

In one iteration of the scam, victims who click on the link are taken to a website that looks like a Facebook login page, asking for account details before the video can be played. There is no video however; scammers are using this method to collect your details in order to hijack your Facebook account and send the same message to your friends, said Hoax Slayer. 

In another version of the scam, the fake site asks victims to copy and paste a code into the address bar of their browser in order to watch the video. In reality, the code is a malicious JavaScript that allows hackers to control the victim’s Facebook account, Hoax Slayer said. 

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky also warned users of another variation of the scam, where victims are taken to a page that looks like a playable movie. 

When victims click on the fake playable movie, malware then redirects them to a set of websites which enumerates their browser, operating system and other vital information. 

The malware then uses tracking cookies to monitor the victims’ online activity, displays certain ads for the victim, and could even social engineer them to click on links. 

“The people behind this are most likely making a lot of money in ads and getting access to a lot of Facebook accounts,” a Kaspersky senior security researcher, David Jacoby, wrote in a blog post. 

In previous years, the scam messages were spread via YouTube links posted on Facebook. The posts would often use victims’ first names, claiming they have been tagged in the “Youtube” video. Other versions of it include videos purportedly showing Justin Bieber being stabbed by a crazed fan. 

Facebook users can secure their accounts by enabling two-factor authentication, where they will be asked to enter a special security code or confirm login attempts each time someone tries accessing Facebook from a computer or mobile device that the social network does not recognise. 

To do so: 

• Click the arrow pointing downwards in the top-right corner of Facebook, and then click Settings > Security and Login.

• Scroll down to use two-factor authentication and click on edit.
• Choose the authentication method you want to add, and follow the instructions.
• Click enable once you have selected and turned on an authentication method.

SINGAPORE: The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) seized more than S$142,000 worth of drugs in its first major operation of 2018, it said on Tuesday (Jan 9). 

The haul included about 1.9kg of cannabis and 1.1kg of heroin, the agency said in a press release.

Officers first spotted a suspect – a 34-year-old Malaysian man – in the vicinity of Evans Road on Monday morning. Two suspected Singaporean drug traffickers, a 46-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, were seen arriving at the location in a van shortly after. The trio was seen walking into a residential estate, after which the Malaysian left on a motorcycle, said CNB.

Officers arrested the two Singaporeans. They raided the woman’s locker at her workplace at Evans Road and seized 1,933g of cannabis, 665g of heroin and 40g of Ice. 

About 26g of cannabis was also seized from the van driven by the 46-year-old, who was suspected of procuring it from a Malaysia-based drugs syndicate, CNB said. 

The Malaysian was arrested along Woodlands Avenue 3 and S$4,500 in cash was recovered from him. 

Authorities also arrested two Singaporean men aged 56 and 62, at a unit along Jalan Bahagia. Officers seized 461g of heroin from the unit, as well as S$16,400 in cash from the suspects.

All the suspects are being investigated, said CNB. 

Anyone convicted of trafficking in more than 500g of cannabis may face the death penalty, said the agency. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, those who are found trafficking more than 15g of pure heroin may also face the death penalty.

SINGAPORE: Combining world-class beach volleyball action in the day and several after-parties at the beach at night, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Beach Volleyball World Tour 2018 will be making a four-day stop in Singapore from Jun 21.

This is the first time Singapore will be hosting a World Tour event and it will be held at Siloso Beach in Sentosa, announced organisers on Tuesday (Jan 9).

More than 20 elite teams from around the world will compete for points to earn a spot at the FIVB World Tour Finals in Germany later this year.

Organised by the Volleyball Association of Singapore (VAS) and supported by Sport Singapore and Tote Board, the competition at Siloso Beach will also feature three men’s and three women’s teams from Singapore.

There will be a prize purse of US$50,000.

The Singapore event is the Volleyball World Tour’s 28th out of its 42 other international pit-stops for the 2017/2018 season.

While beach volleyball action will dominate daytime proceedings, the FIVB event in Singapore also looks set to feature a Japanese music festival as well as an electronic dance music festival as part of its night-time after-party programme.

Apart from Singapore, three other countries will be hosting a World Tour event for the first time – Oman in March, as well as the Philippines and Vietnam in May.

The World Tour will conclude with five-star Major events in Fort Lauderdale, Gstaad and Vienna, before the Finals in Hamburg in August.