The Police have arrested two women and three men, aged between 18 and 51 years, for their suspected involvement in four separate cases of China officials impersonation scam and one case of internet love scam.
China Officials Impersonation Scam
In all four case, the scammers, who claimed to be China officials, had employed the same ruse by telling victims that their credit or debit card details had been used for fraudulent transactions, and/or their bank accounts were involved in money laundering activities. The victims were then allegedly deceived into surrendering their money for purported investigations and divulging their personal banking details, including their One-Time Password. More than S$200,000 had been reported lost by the victims in these cases.
Preliminary investigations revealed that 2 men and 2 women, aged between 18 and 51 years, had allegedly acted on the instructions of the scammers to meet the victims to deliver purported “official investigation documents” to convince the victims that they were genuinely being investigated. These four individuals were allegedly groomed to believe that they were carrying out official tasks for the scammers, were instructed to dress in white and black and were also told what to say to the victims. They had also purportedly produced fake identification cards, and identified themselves as being from organisations such as the Singapore Police Force, the Chinese Police, and Interpol.
Internet Love Scam
On 27 March 2021, the Police received a report where a victim had transferred S$1,600 to a local bank account specified by his purported ‘online lover,’ whom he had never met before.
Investigations revealed a 27-year-old man had befriended victims online via various dating applications and then communicated with them through the chat application, Telegram. After getting to know the victims, the man purportedly started to borrow money from victims on the pretext of family emergencies. The man allegedly scammed victims of more than $4,000.
Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from Police cameras, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identities of the two women and three men and arrested them between 11 and 17 May 2021. Of these, a 31-year-old man was also believed to be operating as an unlicensed remittance agent.
Police investigations are ongoing. Those found guilty of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code face a maximum penalty of a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine. Those found guilty of impersonating a public servant under Section 170 of the Penal Code face a maximum penalty of a jail term up to 2 years, a fine, or both. Unless exempted, those found guilty of carrying on a business of providing any type of payment service in Singapore without a license, under Section 5 of the Payment Services Act 2019, face a maximum penalty of a jail term not exceeding 3 years, a fine not exceeding $125,000, or both.
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. As scammers’ tactics continue to evolve, members of the public are advised to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls, especially from unknown parties:
- Don’t panic – Ignore the calls and the caller’s instructions. No government agency will request for you to transfer of money, your personal details or your bank account login credentials over the phone. Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act as you may be overwhelmed by your emotions and err in your judgment.
- Don’t believe – Scammers may use caller ID spoofing technology to mask their actual phone number and display a different number. Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore. From 15 April 2020, all incoming international calls will be prefixed with a plus (+) sign. Stay vigilant when receiving any unexpected international calls and reject those which spoof local numbers.
- Don’t give – Never disclose your name, identification number, passport details, contact details, bank account or credit card details, and One-Time-Password (OTP) to anyone. Such information will be abused by criminals.
The Police would also like to warn members of the public that it is a serious offence to impersonate law enforcement officers and to collect money from other persons, on the instructions of callers claiming to be officers from law enforcement agencies.
To avoid falling prey to internet love scams, members of the public should be careful when befriending strangers online. They should also be wary when being asked to send money to people whom they do not know.
If you wish to provide any information related to such scams, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
For scam-related advice, please call the National Crime Prevention Council’s Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg. Join the “Let’s Fight Scams” 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 scam victim.
Case Exhibits Seized
Fake Singapore Police warrant card, China Police pass, Interpol pass
Fake ‘official investigation documents’
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
20 May 2021 @ 12:00 PM