The Singapore Ministry of Health released figures showing that there were 130 cases of people in Singapore receiving the wrong doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, as reported by Channel NewsAsia.

However, none of the affected parties suffered severe adverse reactions, and those who did experience some form of reaction from the incorrect doses, have since recovered without hiccups.

7 out of the 130 cases were children between the ages of 5 and 11, with the remainder being all adults, of which some had adverse reactions but had recovered smoothly.

119 people received less than the ideal dosage, while 11 others received more than the ideal dosage, as or 26 September.

Last month, it was also reported that two patients had received a whole vial of undiluted vaccine at a Hougang clinic, which is worth about 5 doses of the vaccine.

One of the affected patients suffered from headaches and a rapidly increasing heart rate, while the other patient’s experience was uneventful.

The doctor responsible for the lapse has since been suspended from the National Vaccination Programme until further notice, along with the clinic.

Janil Puthucheary, the Senior Minister of State for Health, also said that MOH licenses and regulates all providers under the programme.

He added that there are protocols in place for the occurrence of vaccination errors, which include daily monitoring and systematic investigations.

On the Hougang clinic incident, it is still being investigated by MOH.

The Police are investigating 139 suspects, aged between 15 and 78, for their suspected involvement in unlicensed moneylending activities.

During a five-day anti-unlicensed moneylending operation conducted between 26 and 30 September 2022, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and the seven Police land divisions conducted simultaneous raids island-wide.

Preliminary investigations revealed that eight persons had allegedly conducted harassment at debtors’ residences, while 40 persons, believed to be runners, had assisted in unlicensed moneylending businesses by carrying out Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transfers.

The remaining 91 persons are believed to have opened bank accounts and provided their ATM cards, Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and/or Internet Banking tokens to unlicensed moneylenders to facilitate their unlicensed moneylending businesses.

Investigations against all the persons are ongoing.

Under the Moneylenders Act 2008:

• The offence of carrying on or assisting in a business of unlicensed moneylending carries an imprisonment term of up to four years, a fine between $30,000 and $300,000, and caning of up to six strokes.
  
• The offence of acting on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender, committing or attempting to commit any acts of harassment carries an imprisonment term of up to five years, a fine between $5,000 and $50,000, and caning between three and six strokes.

The Police will continue to take tough enforcement action against those involved in the unlicensed moneylending business, regardless of their roles, and ensure that they face the full brunt of the law. This would include taking action against those who open or give away their bank accounts to aid unlicensed moneylenders.

Unlicensed moneylenders are increasingly sending unsolicited loan advertisements via text messages or online platforms. Members of the public are reminded not to reply or respond to such advertisements and to report these messages as spam. Members of the public are advised to stay away from unlicensed moneylenders and not to work with or assist them 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 unlicensed moneylending activities.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
04 October 2022 @ 4:20 PM

The Police have arrested two men, aged 25 and 33, for their suspected involvement in a phishing scam involving Singpass.

Between 29 September and 3 October 2022, the Police received several reports of phishing scams involving Singpass, with losses amounting to more than $21,000. In this variant, the victims would receive unsolicited SMSes with the sender’s ID containing similarities to Singpass (e.g MySingpass), stating that their Singpass accounts had been or would be deactivated, and that they were required to conduct a facial verification to the account. To do this verification, recipients would be required to log into their Singpass through a link provided in the SMSes. Upon clicking on the link, the victims would be directed to a spoofed Singpass log-in page, where they would key in their Singpass login credentials and Singpass One-Time Passwords (OTPs) received on their mobile phones. Victims would later realise that they had been scammed when they received alerts that their Singpass profiles had been updated or that they had signed up for bank accounts and credit cards without their knowledge or consent. In some cases, unauthorised transactions were charged to the victims’ credit cards.

On 2 October 2022, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department mounted an island-wide operation and arrested two men for their suspected involvement in perpetrating the Singpass phishing scam. Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo had allegedly obtained credit cards using the compromised Singpass identity of a victim, which were used to perform fraudulent purchases. Cash amounting to more than $120,000, eight mobile phones, a laptop, several bank cards and 16 SIM cards were seized. The men are believed to be involved in other similar cases involving other victims.

The 25-year-old man will be charged in court on 4 October 2022 with the offence of abetment by conspiracy to cheat with persons outside Singapore, under Section 420 read with Section 120B of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine. Police investigations against the 33-year-old man are going.

The Police take a serious view of persons who may be involved in scams and frauds, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. The Police would like to advise members of the public to follow these crime prevention measures:

• Singpass does not send SMSes containing web links asking you to log in with your credentials (i.e. passwords and OTPs);
  
• Users can verify the authenticity of claims to update or otherwise validate their Singpass account by checking the official Singpass hotline at 63353533 and press “9” for 24-hour scam support. Ensure that the Singpass website domain you are accessing is singpass.gov.sg, with a ‘lock’ icon in the address bar;
  
• If you suspect that your Singpass account has been compromised, reset your Singpass password immediately;
  
• Never disclose your personal or Internet banking details and OTPs to anyone; and
  
• Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately.

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
04 October 2022 @ 1:00 PM

The Police would like to remind the public to be discerning online shoppers, especially when ordering popular electronic products online from third-party resellers, such as the new iPhone 14.  Since October 2022, at least 118 victims have fallen prey to e-commerce scams involving the sales of iPhone, with total losses amounting to at least $389,000.

In these cases, the victims would be enticed by offers of the electronic item for sale, posted by sellers on online platforms such as Carousell. Victims would be asked to contact the sellers via phone calls or video calls. After parties agree on the price, victims would be asked to transfer the payment to the seller’s bank account in advance, before being provided with a location to pick up the product. Victims would proceed to the locations to meet the seller, who would not turn up.

Members of the public are advised to remain vigilant, as scammers might take the opportunity to ask online shoppers to make advance payments for the electronic devices such as the newly launched iPhone 14 with no intention of delivering them.

The Police would like to advise members of the public to adopt the following crime prevention measures when they purchase electronic products online:

• Purchase only from authorised sellers or reputable sources. Buying cheap electronic products from resellers is risky – If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.
  
• Get buyer protection by 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 sellers as this method does not offer any protection to buyers; and
  
• Scammers may entice victims into buying popular products and offer them a better deal if bank transfer payments are made directly to them. They may also 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!

If you have information related 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. Please dial ‘999’ if you require urgent Police assistance.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Join the ‘Spot the Signs. Stop the Crimes’ campaign at www.scamalert.sg/fight by signing up as an advocate to receive up-to-date messages and share them with your family and friends. Together, we can help stop scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next victim.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
04 October 2022 @ 7:50 PM

The Police have arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly cheating an e-commerce company in a series of refund frauds.

On 18 August 2022, the Police received a report from an e-commerce company that the suspect had, on multiple occasions, allegedly used fake particulars to purchase mobile phones and tablet devices, and subsequently returned fake devices in order to receive full refunds. The total losses amounted to more than $11,200.

Through investigations, officers from Bedok Division established the identity of the suspect and arrested him on 27 September 2022. Dummy set handphones in Apple and Samsung boxes, sticker seals for the handphone boxes and a laptop, were among the case exhibits seized.

Police investigations are ongoing against the man for the offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The Police take a serious view against any person who may be involved in scams and frauds, 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.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
03 October 2022 @ 6:48 PM