The Police have arrested two men, aged 40 and 37, for their suspected involvement in fraudulently registering mobile lines and trading of these fraudulently registered mobile lines.
On 31 July 2023, in a six-hour operation, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and Police Intelligence Department arrested the men. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 37-year-old man was working at an events company that conducted SIM card registration roadshows. He had allegedly registered additional prepaid SIM cards without the customers’ consent. These additional prepaid SIM cards were then sold to individuals who wanted to purchase SIM cards without using their identities. The 40-year-old man allegedly abetted the offences and procured the pre-registered prepaid SIM cards from the other man and resold them to others for suspected criminal purposes. Upon their arrests, an assortment of paraphernalia such as mobile phones, prepaid SIM cards and records were seized. Police investigations are ongoing.
Criminals may exploit such fraudulently registered prepaid SIM cards as an anonymous channel of communications for illicit activities such as unlicensed moneylending, scams and vice. Scam syndicates have also been found to perpetrate their criminal activities using such prepaid SIM cards to contact victims and to communicate amongst themselves, to evade possible detection.
The offence of illegally obtaining personal information under Section 416A of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years,a fine of up to $10,000, or both. The offence of unauthorized modification of computer material under Section 5(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
The Police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams and will continue to clamp down on retailers and assistants who may be indirectly facilitating illicit activities. Those involved in such illicit activities will be dealt with in accordance with the law. Members of the public are advised to refrain from purchasing pre-registered prepaid/postpaid SIM cards and to always maintain a clear view of their identification documents to prevent them from being misused during the registration of SIM cards by retailers or assistants.
Exhibits seized ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
02 August 2023 @ 9:45 PM