About $3.5 million lost in S’pore due to tampered Ledger crypto hardware wallets
The Paris-based company had suspended sales across South-east Asia after discovering incidents of tampering.
The police in Singapore reported that approximately $3.5 million worth of cryptocurrency was lost due to tampered Ledger hardware wallets. Ledger is a Paris-based manufacturer of cryptocurrency hardware wallets, which are physical devices that store private keys offline for enhanced security. Two cases of tampered Ledger devices were reported since September 10.
These malicious devices contain components that can capture users' recovery phrases or private keys, potentially allowing unauthorized access to users' cryptocurrency wallets and assets. The police are collaborating with Ledger to investigate the affected cases. Earlier, Ledger had suspended sales in Southeast Asia following the discovery of tampered devices that could steal user funds.
This suspension included Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. The total estimated losses exceed US$86 million, though Ledger could not confirm the number of people affected or the exact amount lost. The police advised the public to exercise caution when dealing with cryptocurrencies, urging them to stay informed, follow official advisories, secure their devices, and never share private keys, recovery, or seed phrases.
Anyone with information on these crimes is encouraged to contact the police hotline or submit a report online. Additional scam information can be found at www.scamshield.gov.sg.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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