Scammers use new Cast user's phone number to buy $1,000 worth of gift cards
Poong Qi Tao
TNP
Feb 19, 2025
A man was shocked to receive a text from his phone service provider, demanding a payment of over $1,000 just nine days after registering for an app using his phone number.
Mr Yang, 49, told Shin Min Daily News that he registered for Singtel's Cast app on Jan 26 using only his phone number.
"I didn't enter any payment details or subscribe to anything," he said.
According to Singtel's website, Cast is an app designed for Singtel users to stream content from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and China It also allows subscriptions to other services like newspapers, music platforms, gaming services and PlayStation-related content.
On Feb 4, Mr Yang received a text message from Singtel stating that he had accumulated over $1,000 in charges for "content and services".
"I thought it was roaming charges from my trip to Malaysia, but it wasn't," he said.
"The Singtel customer service told me my phone number had been used to subscribe to PlayStation services through the app, which led to the charges."
Mr Yang insisted he never subscribed to PlayStation services and had no idea purchases could be made using just his phone number.
The next day, he contacted Singtel to block any further app or third-party charges linked to his number. He also filed a police report.
"I was terrified. That amount of money could buy a new phone. I wanted to warn others about this."
Upon checking the Cast app, Mr Yang found that his phone number was indeed listed as the payment method. This meant charges were billed directly to his phone account without any credit card notifications.
"If it had been charged to my credit card, I would have at least received a transaction alert. But with my phone number, there was nothing."
Although app purchases typically require a one-time password, Mr Yang claimed he never received any OTP messages.
Singtel's deputy chief corporate officer Gan Siok Hoon told Shin Min Daily News that Cast allows Singtel users to make purchases directly via their phone numbers, which are then reflected in their monthly bills.
"Mr Yang informed us on Feb 5 that he had not purchased any PlayStation gift cards despite being billed for them. We advised him to lodge a police report while we conducted our own investigation."
Singtel suspects Mr Yang could have unknowingly clicked on a phishing link, allowing scammers to obtain his phone number and OTP.
"As a precaution, we have removed PlayStation gift cards from the Cast app and are working with authorities to investigate further," explained Ms Gan.
"We urge all customers to be vigilant and verify links before clicking on them."
As a goodwill gesture, Singtel waived the charges related to the PlayStation purchases.
After reviewing his bill, Mr Yang discovered that the fraudulent transactions happened just two minutes after he registered on the app.
Within that short time span, scammers used his phone number to buy $1,000 worth of PlayStation gift cards valued at $20, $50, $80 and $100 each.
