The Police have arrested a total of 21 individuals, aged between 18 and 46, for their suspected involvement in perpetrating various scams such as job scams, e-commerce scams, loan scams, and fake gambling platform scams. Eighteen men and three women, will be charged in Court on 14 October 2022 for their suspected involvement in various offences connected to money mule activities, such as cheating, money laundering, facilitating unauthorised access to computer material and carrying on an unlicensed business of providing payment service.
These 21 individuals are alleged to have sold or rented their bank accounts to criminal syndicates for as much as $1,000 per bank account, or assisted by carrying out bank transfers and withdrawals. Some of them are believed to have cheated the banks into opening bank accounts so as to hand over the bank ATM cards and iBanking PINs to the criminal syndicates. One individual is alleged to have sold his SingPass credentials to criminal syndicates to create new bank accounts.
The offence of cheating under Section 417 of the Penal Code carries an imprisonment term of up to three years and a fine. The offence of money laundering under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act carries an imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, a fine not exceeding $500,000, or both. The offence of facilitating unauthorised access to computer material carries an imprisonment term not exceeding two years, a fine, or both. The offence of carrying on an unlicensed business of providing payment service under Section 5 of the Payment Services Act 2019 carries a fine not exceeding $125,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both.
The Police take a serious view of persons who may be involved in scams and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255 0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
13 October 2022 @ 7:50 PM