According to the Police media release, 5 individuals are currently under investigation after they allegedly allowed their Singpass account to be used by others for illegal activities.
Police said that an island-wide anti-scam operation was conducted between Tuesday and Wednesday (Apr 5 – 6) which resulted in the investigations of four men and one woman between the ages of 20 and 28.
The 5 individuals allegedly disclosed their Singpass details which were then used by scam syndicates to register businesses in their names and open corporate bank accounts. The bank accounts were all involved in transactions linked to transfers of money related to investment scams.
Used by scammers
Preliminary investigations revealed that the individuals came across loan advertisements on social media, phishing links, and had allegedly disclosed their Singpass credentials for various purposes, such as to obtain loans. As a result, businesses were registered and corporate bank accounts were opened in their names. These accounts were then used to receive illegal proceeds from scam victims.
The Police would like to advise the public that disclosing Singpass login details can constitute an offence under Section 8(2)(a) of the Computer Misuse Act (Cap 50A, 2007 Rev Ed). If convicted, first-time offenders will each be liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment not exceeding three years, or both.
What the police advised:
Members of the public are advised to remain vigilant and should adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Never disclose your Singpass login details to others;
- Check your Singpass account for any suspicious activities and report them, if any, to the Singpass helpdesk at 63353533 immediately.
- Reset your Singpass password at go.gov.sg/reset-sp-pw if you suspect any misuse of your Singpass account
To avoid becoming involved in money-laundering activities, members of the public should always reject requests to disclose their Singpass login details, or allow their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others. The Police would also like to caution members of the public against relinquishing their own Singpass accounts to others. Crime syndicates can make use of the disclosed Singpass login details to access a whole suite of digital services, including opening bank accounts, registering businesses in the owner’s name, making cash advances from the banks, and even accessing the owner’s CPF monies.