Man who drove around S’pore with ‘blaster device’ to transmit over 10.5k phishing messages gets jail

SINGAPORE - Promised RM1,000 (S$311) a day, a Malaysian man drove around Singapore with a “blaster device”, transmitting over 10,500 phishing messages to different WhatsApp accounts in October and November 2025.

More than 31,000 mobile phones had fallen within the coverage area of the device, and one person suffered a loss of over $1,800 after transferring cash to a third party’s bank account.

On Sept 14, Ong Kak Seng, 28, was sentenced to a year and nine months’ jail, and a fine of $1,500.

He had pleaded guilty to a cheating charge, and will have to spend an additional week behind bars if he fails to pay the fine.

He committed the offence after owing around RM80,000 to unlicensed moneylenders.

Court documents stated that Ong was in Malaysia around 2023, and got to know a man known only as “Bai Ge”.

In October 2025, Bai Ge found out Ong was in debt, and offered him a job to earn RM1,000 a day.

Ong had to drive around densely populated areas in either Hong Kong or Singapore for up to 12 hours daily, with the blaster device in his car.

Ong knew this was illegal, the court heard.

This was because a driver in Malaysia would ordinarily be paid about RM3,000 a month for performing legitimate services, and Bai Ge was offering a salary of almost 10 times the amount.

Ong told Bai Ge he wanted to work in Singapore.

At Bai Ge’s home in Malaysia later that month, Ong was taught to assemble and set up the blaster device.

On Oct 12, 2025, Ong assembled different components to make the device, which he placed in his car.

Between Oct 13 and Nov 18, 2025, he drove around numerous locations in Singapore for between 10 and 12 hours every day with the device, antennae and various battery packs at the back of his car.

He also met up with one Lie Dao Jing, 27, a Singaporean who was allegedly performing the same task as him. Lie’s case is pending.

Around the same time, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) received multiple reports from the public who received suspicious WhatsApp and text messages, claiming the recipients had “issues” with the verification of their WhatsApp accounts. And requested they provide login credentials via a link on a separate webpage.

This website was a fraudulent page, designed by third parties to take over WhatsApp accounts.

Officers from the SPF’s Police Intelligence Department and Commercial Affairs Department conducted an islandwide operation to catch those involved in transmitting these phishing messages.

Officers arrested Ong on Nov 18, 2025.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.