Three men, aged between 20 and 29, will be charged in court on 4 April 2024, for their suspected involvement in money laundering activities linked to various scams such as job and investment scams. Separately, a 26-year-old man will be charged in court on the same day for allegedly committing rental scam.
The cases are:
- In November 2022, a 28-year-old man allegedly responded to an online job advertisement on Telegram which offered him $500 per month to open a crypto mining account and to share his Singpass and bank account login credentials. He agreed and his bank accounts were subsequently used to launder proceeds of crime from job and investment scams. He will be charged with the offence of unauthorised disclosure of access code under Section 8(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 and abetting to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system under Section 3(1) read with Section 12(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993.
- In October 2023, a 20-year-old man allegedly responded to an online advertisement on Telegram which offered him $600 for sharing his bank account details and internet banking credentials. He agreed and his bank account was subsequently used to launder proceeds of crime from a job scam. He will be charged with the offence of abetting to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system under Section 3(1) read with Section 12(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993.
- In May 2023, a 29-year-old man allegedly responded to a fast cash offer on Telegram which offered him $600 for sharing his internet banking credentials. He later disclosed his internet banking credentials to an unknown person and his bank account was subsequently used to launder proceeds of crime from job scams. He will be charged with the offence of abetting to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system under Section 3(1) read with Section 12(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993.
- On 13 July 2023, the 26-year-old man allegedly deceived a victim into believing that he had a rental room to offer. After the victim paid a deposit to the man to secure the rental, the man became uncontactable. Investigations revealed that the man did not have any room to offer. He will be charged with offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871.
The offence of abetting to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system under Section 3(1) read with Section 12 of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries a fine not exceeding $5,000, an imprisonment term not exceeding two years, or both, for first-time offenders.
The offence of unauthorised disclosure of access code, under Section 8(1), punishable under Section 8(2) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries an imprisonment term not exceeding three years, a fine not exceeding $10,000, or both, for first-time offenders.
The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.
The Police take a serious view of these offences and will not hesitate to take action against individuals who may be involved in scams and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. To avoid being an accomplice in these crimes, members of the public should always reject seemingly attractive money-making opportunities promising fast and easy pay-outs for the use of their Singpass accounts, bank accounts, or allow their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others. The Police would like to remind members of the public that individuals will be held accountable if they are found to be linked to such crimes.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call 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. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
03 April 2024 @ 7:00 PM