The Police have arrested five men, aged between 24 and 27, for their suspected involvement in illegal telecommunication activities, which facilitated various scams in Singapore.
Between 29 and 30 May 2024, officers from the Police Intelligence Department and the Commercial Affairs Department conducted an island-wide operation, resulting in the arrest of five men suspected to be part of a syndicate involved in One-Time Password activation services. Using local SIM cards, they created WhatsApp accounts and linked Paynow numbers to bank accounts used to allegedly launder scam proceeds. These WhatsApp accounts were allegedly provided to overseas-based scammers who used these accounts to target Singapore residents through job scams, e-commence scams, fake friend call scams, government officials impersonation scams, loan scams, lucky draw scams and malware-enabled scams.
Over 14,000 pre-paid SIM cards, several SIM card hubs, CPUs and computer monitors, routers, mobile phones and other accessories were seized.
Three men will be charged in court on 31 May 2024 with an offence of abetment by conspiracy to commit cheating under Section 420 read with Section 109 and Section 108B of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine. Investigations against the remaining two men are ongoing.
The Police take a serious view against any person who may be involved in scams and frauds, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit 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 https://www.police.gov.sg/i-witness
Exhibits seized during the operation ▼
Photos of arrests ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
30 May 2024 @ 11:50 PM