Singapore police have reported at least two cases of tampered Ledger hardware wallets, with losses totaling 3.5 million Singapore dollars ($2.7 million). The incidents date back to September 10, nearly a month before the wider issue became public. The police advisory, released on Wednesday, revealed that malicious hardware components were found in wallets purchased from some retail stores in Singapore.
The disclosure adds a local loss figure and an earlier reporting date to the incident, which first surfaced publicly on October 9. Reports indicated losses involving devices sold through CryptoBilis, an authorized Ledger reseller in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès claimed that a Ledger Flex purchased at Singapore’s airport contained a spy implant. Another user reported a tampered device bought from local IT retailer Challenger, later receiving a replacement from Ledger.
On October 13, Ledger requested retailers in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Hong Kong to suspend sales of its devices as investigations continue. Singapore police confirmed they are in contact with Ledger, which is reviewing the affected cases, while police investigations remain ongoing.