MAN ARRESTED FOR SUSPECTED INVOLVEMENT IN A GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IMPERSONATION SCAM
The Police have arrested a 19-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a case of Government Officials Impersonation Scam (“GOIS”).
On 16 July 2023, the Police received a ‘999’ call for assistance to verify the identity of a purported government official who claimed to be acting under the office of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Through follow up investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division and Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the man and subsequently arrested him on the same day. CAD officers seized several case exhibits such as a laptop, a printer, a brown envelope, a fake MAS pass, some GOIS related documents, a debit card, some apparels, and an ink pad from the man’s residence. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had allegedly printed a pass with wordings “Monetary Authority of Singapore” and later presented it and impersonated as a MAS officer. He is also believed to have handed over some documents to a victim for her endorsement.
The man will be charged in court on 18 July 2023 with an offence of Cheating by Personation under Section 419 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term up to 5 years, or with fine, or with both.
The Police advise members of the public to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls requesting for compliance with instructions to avoid criminal investigations:
Ignore such calls and the caller’s instructions. No government agency will instruct payment through a telephone call or other social messaging platforms (WeChat or Facebook), or ask you for personal banking information such as your internet banking passwords;.
For foreigners receiving calls from persons claiming to be from Police in your home country, call your Embassy/High Commission to verify the claims of the caller;
Refrain from giving out personal information and bank details, whether on a website or to callers over the phone. Personal information and bank details such as internet bank account usernames, passwords, OTP codes from tokens, are useful to criminals.
Do not make any funds transfer if the caller is of dubious identity;
Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act. Do not be pressured by the caller to act impulsively.
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Do share this advisory with your family and friends to prevent them from being the next scam victim.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
17 July 2023 @ 10:45 PM