Key facts
- Singapore police reported at least two cases of tampered Ledger hardware wallets.
- Combined losses in Singapore amount to S$3.5 million ($2.7 million).
- Malicious hardware components were found in some Ledger wallets purchased from retail stores.
- The incidents were reported as early as September 10, nearly a month before the wider issue became public.
Singapore police have reported that at least two cases involving tampered Ledger hardware wallets have resulted in combined losses of S$3.5 million ($2.7 million). The police advisory, published on Wednesday, indicated that preliminary investigations found malicious hardware components in Ledger wallets purchased from some retail stores in Singapore. These local reports emerged nearly a month before the wider incident became public on October 9, following reports of losses involving devices sold through an authorized reseller in Southeast Asia. Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès also claimed a Ledger device purchased at Singapore's airport contained a spy implant. Ledger has requested retailers in several Asian countries to suspend sales as investigations continue.