The Police have arrested a 23-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman for their suspected involvement in a series of e-commerce scams, involving the purported sale of iPhone 14 mobile devices.

Between 1 and 17 October 2022, the Police received several reports from victims who were purportedly cheated by an online seller who had advertised the sale of mobile devices such as the iPhone 14 series and iPhone 13 series models, on an e-commerce platform, Carousell. The man had allegedly failed to deliver the items after payments were made by the victims via PayNow or bank transfers.

Through follow-up investigations, officers from Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the duo and arrested them on 25 October 2022 at Changi Airport upon their arrival in Singapore. Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo is believed to be involved in at least 140 similar cases with reported losses amounting to more than $360,000.

The duo will be charged in court on 26 October 2022 with engaging in a criminal conspiracy to cheat under Section 420 read with Section 120B of the Penal Code 1871. The offence of cheating carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when making online purchases:

1. Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources, especially for high-value items. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.
   
2. Opt for buyer protection using in-built payment options that release payment to the seller only upon delivery. Whenever possible, avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the seller as this method does not offer any protection.
   
3. Scammers may entice buyers to contact them directly through messaging platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp or WeChat by offering a better or faster deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them. They may use a local bank account or provide a copy of a NRIC/driver’s licence to make you believe that they are genuine sellers. Do not fall for it!

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.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
25 October 2022 @ 10:10 PM

Following the emergence of SafeEntry ambassador job listings on an online job portal by recruitment firm Job Studio, speculation was rife about whether it meant restrictions were coming back to Singapore.

However, the recruitment firm that posted the job listings, has since clarified the situation and explained that their job listings were due to a normal staff turnover, according to Channel NewsAsia.

The recruitment firm has also changed the job titles of the “SafeEntry Ambassador” jobs to “Visitor Screener” instead, to avoid confusion in future.

The recruitment firm spoke to Channel NewsAsia and said that their job listings were not linked to any possible tightening of measures and that they were just hiring due to staff turnover.

Joseph Khor, the operations director of the recruitment firm, told CNA that they had been maintaining a pool of temperature screeners and SafeEntry ambassadors since last year.

He added that there is bound to be turnover as the job position was a temporary one, and they have also edited the job descriptions of their job listings.

Their duties include more than SafeEntry, such as frontline customer service, crowd control and registering visitors.

The recruitment firm currently deploys about 50 workers in such positions, and they post for the position from time to time to replenish their staff as there are turnovers.

Heavy metal plates fell from a lorry at the entrace of Nicoll Highway heading towards the Kalland-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) on 24 October, according to The Straits Times.

As a result, the tunnel was closed from about 5pm and the road was damaged, resulting in a massive traffic jam outside the KPE tunnel entrance.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) shared a Twitter update on 24 October at about 4.52pm saying that there was an obstacle at the Nicoll Highway entrance.

A high jam was seen outside the tunnel with lines of vehicles being seen waiting, resulting in a huge congestion in the area.

Some vehicles were also seen trying to turn out from the area by traveling in the opposite direction as a result of the huge jam.

At about 12.12am on 25 October, LTA updated via Twitter than the road works at the tunnel entrance had been finished and reopened to the public.

Nobody was injured in the incident.

@zaobaosg 朝往淡滨尼快速公路（TPE）的加冷—巴耶利峇快速公路（KPE），在尼诰大道（Nicoll Highway）的入口处出现障碍物，导致入口处暂时关闭。#zaobaosg #sgnews #sgincident #tpe #kpe #sgroad #马路 #关闭 #交通 #阻塞 ♬ original sound – zaobaosg

A lift in Sengkang reportedly malfunctioned and shot up to the top floor of a HDB building at Block 158D Rivervale Crescent, according to Shin Min Daily News.

A resident who was inside the lift at the time was injured as a result of the incident that happened back in August.

The lift has since been unusable, and the building is left with just 1 working lift which has increased the waiting time at the 18-storey HDB block.

Speaking to SMDN, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said that they received a report of the incident on 24 August.

The resident who was injured, suffered bruises on her shoulders, and the town council was then ordered to stop the lift operations and appoint a technician to investigate the incident, as well as take appropriate measures.

A report by the technician was then submitted on 23 September citing the malfunction of the life’s brakes as the cause, measures were then taken the next day.

However, BCA said that they didn’t receive the final investigation report until 20 October.

They will be reviewing the report to make sure that standards are met during the investigation and restoration work on the lift.

Checks were also done on the other lifts in the same building and they were working normal.

The Police have arrested a 36-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a series of loanshark harassment cases.

Between 19 and 20 October 2022, the Police received multiple reports of loanshark harassment along Marsling Drive, Dover Close East, Compassvale Street, Bedok Reservoir Road, Yishun Avenue 6, where the gate of several residential units were splashed by paint, secured with bicycle locks and hung with pork.

Through follow up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man and subsequently arrested him on 21 October 2022. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man was involved in at least six similar harassment cases.

The man will be charged in court on 22 October 2022 under the Moneylenders Act 2008. For first-time offenders, the offence of loanshark harassment where damage was caused to any property carries a fine of between $5,000 and $50,000, with mandatory imprisonment of up to five years, and mandatory caning of up to six strokes. Repeat offenders shall be fined between $6,000 and $60,000, with mandatory imprisonment between two years and nine years, and mandatory caning of up to 10 strokes.

The Police have zero tolerance against loanshark harassment activities. Those who deliberately vandalise properties, cause annoyance and disruption to public safety and security, will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are advised to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist them in any way.  Members of the public can call the Police at ‘999’ or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in illegal loansharking activities.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
22 October 2022 @ 8:00 AM

The Police have arrested a 42-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a case of robbery with hurt.

On 22 October 2022 at about 8.45am, the Police were alerted to a case of robbery at the vicinity of Clementi Avenue 2.  Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had allegedly snatched the victim’s handbag containing a mobile phone and other miscellaneous items worth about $900.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from Police cameras, officers from Clementi Police Division managed to establish the identity of the suspect and arrested him on the same day, at about 11.45am.

The 42-year-old man will be charged in court on 24 October 2022 with robbery with hurt under Section 394 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence of robbery with hurt carries an imprisonment term of not less than five years and not more than 20 years, and caning with not less than 12 strokes.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
22 October 2022 @ 10:00 PM

The Police have arrested one man, aged 21, and two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, for their suspected involvement in a case of theft of motor vehicle.On 19 October 2022, the Police received a report that a motor vehicle was stolen from the multi-storey carpark of Block 181 Marsiling Road.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from Police cameras, officers from Woodlands Police Division established the identity of the 21-year-old man and two teenagers involved, and arrested them by 20 October 2022. The motor vehicle was also recovered. Police investigations are ongoing.

The three persons are being investigated for the offence of theft of motor vehicle under Section 379A of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a fine.

The Police would like to advise all motor vehicle owners to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

a)         Park in well-lit areas;

b)        Install an anti-theft alarm system for your motor vehicle and ensure it is well-maintained;

c)         Remove cash cards and other valuables, such as laptops and mobile phones before leaving the vehicle;

d)         Lock all vehicle doors and wind up all windows when leaving the vehicle, even if it is for a short while and;

e)         Remove the ignition key and lock the vehicle whenever it is left unattended.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
22 October 2022 @ 10:40 PM

The Police have arrested a male teenager and a female teenager, both aged 17, for their suspected involvement in loanshark harassment activities.

On 22 October 2022, the Police were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, where a residential unit was splashed with red paint and a debtor’s note was left behind.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from Police cameras, officers from Jurong Police Division established the identity of the duo and arrested them on 23 October 2022. Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo are believed to be involved in another similar case. Police investigations against the female teenager are ongoing.

The male teenager will be charged in court on 25 October 2022 under the Moneylenders Act 2008. For first time offenders, the offence of loanshark harassment carries a fine between $5,000 and $50,000, with mandatory imprisonment of up to five years, and mandatory caning of up to six strokes.

The Police have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities. Those who deliberately vandalise properties, cause annoyance and disruptions to public safety, peace and security, will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are advised to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist the loansharks in any way. The public can call the Police at ‘999’ or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in loansharking activities.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
24 October 2022 @ 2:30 PM

A 65-year-old man is offering a reward of $200 for his phone that he lost at a toilet in People’s Park Centre in Chinatown.

The man, Mr Lee, spoke to Shin Min Daily News and said that the phone has photos of his late mother who passed away.

He lost his phone on 8 October at about 6pm, when he placed it on the ledge of the cubicle while using a toilet on the 2nd floor.

He forgot to retrieve it and only recalled leaving it there 2 minutes later, and by the time he went returned to the toilet to retrieve it, the phone was already gone.

Lee said that the phone is an ASUS Zenfone 3 Max that is gold coloured – the phone itself isn’t worth much money but it contained priceless photos of his mother while she was still alive.

The day he lost the phone also happened to be his mother’s death anniversary.