33 men and seven women, aged between 18 and 43, will be charged in court from 9 to 11 September 2024 for new offences connected to scams-related money mule activities, which were introduced through the amendments to the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA) and the Computer Misuse Act 1993 (CMA) in 2023.
In 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office introduced new offences in the CDSA and the CMA to curb the facilitation of scams and the movement of criminal proceeds as well as the abuse of Singpass. These offences came into force on 8 February 2024 and target persons who hand over control of their bank accounts or disclose their Singpass credentials to others, who are then able to use these accounts and credentials to commit scams and launder scam proceeds.
Investigations reveal that these individuals had allegedly relinquished or sold their bank accounts and/or Singpass credentials and enabled criminal syndicates to commit money laundering. Some allegedly cheated the banks into opening bank accounts and handed over the ATM cards and iBanking credentials to unknown persons. Others had allegedly disclosed their Singpass credentials unlawfully, and thereby enabled criminal syndicates to misuse their identities in the opening of bank accounts.
In one case, a bank account holder is alleged to have enabled a stranger to control the bank account, which was subsequently used to launder more than $300,000 of criminal proceeds. In another case, a Singpass account holder is alleged to have enabled a stranger to access his identity in Singpass in response to an offer for fast cash, and his identity was used to open four bank accounts and to launder more than $500,000 of criminal proceeds.
The offence of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct under Section 55A(5) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine or both. The offence of cheating under Section 417 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine or both. The offence of facilitating unauthorised access to compter material under Section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries an imprisonment term of up to two years, a fine or both, for a first conviction. The offence of unlawful disclosure of password or access code in relation to the national digital identity service under Section 8A(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine or both.
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 sternly dealt with in accordance with the law. The Sentencing Advisory Panel has also published Guidelines that recommend significant imprisonment sentences as the norm for scams-related offences involving the handing over of bank accounts or the disclosure of Singpass credentials. The courts also have the discretion to enhance sentences if there are aggravating factors, such as the involvement of vulnerable victims. Members of the public are reminded that our payment and Singpass accounts are for our own use only and are encouraged to adopt the following precautionary measures to avoid being an accomplice in crimes:
- Do not disclose your payment and Singpass accounts and credentials to anyone else;
- Do not let anyone else access, operate or control your payment accounts;
- Do not receive or transfer money for anyone else using your payment accounts, unless you know him/her and where he/she is;
- Do not ask for the Singpass credentials of another person; and
- Do not supply, offer to supply, transmit or make available, by any means, the Singpass credentials of another person.
Photos of the Arrests▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
08 September 2024 @ 12:30 PM