The Anti-Scam Command (ASCom) of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), in collaboration with United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities and INTERPOL, has made a recovery of over USD 45,000 (approximately SGD 57,000) in a case of Business Email Compromise Scam.
On 18 September 2024, a consultancy firm based in Singapore lodged a police report stating that it had fallen prey to a case of Business Email Compromise Scam. Through follow up investigations and with the assistance from the UAE authorities and INTERPOL through the INTERPOL Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP), ASCom had successfully recovered the funds.
Preliminary investigations revealed that on 12 September 2024, one of the staff received an email from a “supplier” notifying it to transfer the payment for goods purchased to a new bank account based in the UAE. Unbeknownst to the staff, the “.com” in the supplier’s original email was replaced with “.store”. The staff then initiated a transfer of USD 45,532.42 to the purported supplier on 18 September 2024 and the funds were directed to the fraudulent bank account maintained in the UAE. On the same day, the staff discovered the fraud after being informed by their genuine supplier that they had not changed their bank account.
The SPF remains committed to working closely with international counterparts to combat cross-border criminal activities and uphold the integrity of the global financial system. This successful recovery underscores the critical importance of international cooperation in combating transnational scam cases, where perpetrators operate in a borderless environment.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
03 October 2024 @ 4:28 PM