In a 24-hour island-wide operation conducted on 30 and 31 March 2023, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department conducted simultaneous raids targeting eight handphone shops located at Whampoa, Toa Payoh, Woodlands, Tuas and Pioneer Road. Three men, aged between 24 and 31, were arrested for their suspected involvement in fraudulently registering postpaid SIM cards using the particulars of customers’ particulars. Eight men and three women, aged between 28 and 56, are assisting in investigations.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the handphone shop retailers had accessed the computer systems containing registration information for postpaid SIM cards. The retailers would purportedly pre-register SIM cards using particulars of others and sell them to customers who wanted to conceal their identities. An assortment of paraphernalia such as handphones and SIM cards were seized during the operation.
Criminals can exploit such fraudulently registered postpaid SIM cards as an anonymous channel of communications for unlicensed moneylending, scams, and vice, among other illicit activities. Scam syndicates have also been found to perpetrate their criminal activities using such postpaid SIM cards to contact victims and to communicate amongst themselves, so as to evade possible detection.
Investigations are ongoing. The offence of unauthorised modification of computer material under Section 5(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries a fine of up to $10,000, an imprisonment term not exceeding three years, or both.
The Police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams and will continue to clamp down on errant handphone shop retailers who may be indirectly facilitating illegal activities. Those involved in such illegal activities will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
06 April 2023 @ 12:20 PM