In June 2018, the Police received reports from at least six victims of China officials impersonation scam. The victims received phone calls from scammers claiming to be from the Chinese authorities, and that the victims were the subjects of a criminal probe in China. The scammers instructed them to either transfer their monies to other bank accounts or pass cash to a ‘police officer’ for investigation. Further investigations revealed that the victims lost S$208,600 in total, and the funds were all delivered to a man who was believed to have carried cash out of Singapore.
Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the 25-year-old Malaysian man, but he had already fled Singapore. On 12 July 2019, with the assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police, the man was arrested in Kuala Lumpur for his suspected involvement in the scams and brought back to Singapore on 13 July 2019.
The man will be charged in court on 15 July 2019 with the offence of dishonestly receiving stolen property. If convicted, the man faces an imprisonment term of up to 5 years, or with a fine, or with both.
Director of the Commercial Affairs Department, Mr David Chew, said, “This arrest underscores the resolve of the Singapore Police Force and our foreign counterparts to track down and bring to justice transnational criminals who try to evade responsibility for their crimes by leaving Singapore. I would like to thank the Royal Malaysia Police for their strong support and assistance in arresting the suspect.”
The Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls to transfer money or provide personal information:
• Ignore such calls and the caller’s instructions. No government agency will demand payment through an undocumented medium like 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 foreign residents receiving calls from persons claiming to be Police officers or government officials from your home country, please 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 and passwords, OTP codes from tokens, are useful to criminals. Do not make any funds transfer at the behest of such callers.
• Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act. Do not be pressured by the caller to act impulsively.
• To seek scam-related advice, you may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg.
Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the 25-year-old Malaysian man, but he had already fled Singapore. On 12 July 2019, with the assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police, the man was arrested in Kuala Lumpur for his suspected involvement in the scams and brought back to Singapore on 13 July 2019.
The man will be charged in court on 15 July 2019 with the offence of dishonestly receiving stolen property. If convicted, the man faces an imprisonment term of up to 5 years, or with a fine, or with both.
Director of the Commercial Affairs Department, Mr David Chew, said, “This arrest underscores the resolve of the Singapore Police Force and our foreign counterparts to track down and bring to justice transnational criminals who try to evade responsibility for their crimes by leaving Singapore. I would like to thank the Royal Malaysia Police for their strong support and assistance in arresting the suspect.”
The Police would like to advise members of the public to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls to transfer money or provide personal information:
• Ignore such calls and the caller’s instructions. No government agency will demand payment through an undocumented medium like 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 foreign residents receiving calls from persons claiming to be Police officers or government officials from your home country, please 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 and passwords, OTP codes from tokens, are useful to criminals. Do not make any funds transfer at the behest of such callers.
• Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act. Do not be pressured by the caller to act impulsively.
• To seek scam-related advice, you may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 July 2019 @ 11:50 PM
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
14 July 2019 @ 11:50 PM