A 47-year-old woman was charged in court on 1 March 2022 for the offence of possessing property reasonably suspected to be benefits from criminal conduct under Section 47AA of the Corruption, Drug-Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (“CDSA”), and for the offence of failing to maintain accounting records under Section 199 of the Companies Act.
In December 2020, the Police received a report from a 48-year-old female victim of an Internet Love Scam (ILS). Investigations revealed that the victim befriended a male character online who claimed to have sent her a parcel. She later received several phone calls telling her that the parcel was held back by Singapore Customs and that she needed to pay certain fees for the parcel to be released. As instructed, she transferred a sum of $16,000 to a corporate bank account which belonged to the accused. When she was asked to make more payments a few days later, the victim realised that she had been cheated and lodged a police report. Police investigations also uncovered another 58-year-old ILS victim who had transferred $274,000 to the same bank account after falling prey to the same ruse.
Under the CDSA, the offence of possessing or using property that may be reasonably suspected of being criminal benefits carries a punishment of up to three years' imprisonment, a fine of up to $150,000, or both. The offence of failing to maintain accounting records under the Companies Act carries a punishment of a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment of up to 12 months.
The Police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or mobile lines as you will be held accountable if these are linked to crimes.
If you receive or are asked to receive funds from unknown or dubious sources, please contact the Anti-Scam Helpline 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.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
01 March 2022 @ 12:00 PM