On Oct 27, Law Jian Haw was given a charge for abetment by conspiracy to assist another in retaining benefits from criminal conduct. - ST
SINGAPORE: A man has been charged over his suspected involvement in a government official impersonation scam, after allegedly collecting cash and valuables from a scam victim.
On Monday (Oct 27), Law Jian Haw, a 24-year-old Malaysian, was given a charge for abetment by conspiracy to assist another in retaining benefits from criminal conduct.
Law is accused of collecting 34 pieces of gold jewellery worth around S$80,000 and two Rolex watches worth approximately $11,000 from a scam victim on Oct 25.
The court heard that Law came to Singapore for the sole purpose of perpetrating the alleged crime, and has no roots here.
The prosecution asked that no bail be offered to Law, who is suspected to be part of a larger syndicate and involved in other cases.
Law’s case was adjourned to Nov 5.
On Oct 26, the police said they received a report the previous day that the victim had been deceived by scammers who impersonated officials from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The victim was told that he had been implicated in an offence and was required to surrender jewellery and over $25,000 in cash to a “government official” for investigative purposes.
Following the report, Law’s identity was established and the police detained him at Woodlands Checkpoint.
The police said Law had collected the cash and valuables from the victim on Oct 25 before leaving Singapore within the next hour. The cash and valuables were then handed over to an unknown person in Malaysia.
Law was arrested when he returned to Singapore for the second time on the same day.
“The man is believed to be involved in other similar cases and was facilitating the scam syndicate to retain benefits from criminal conduct,” added the police.
If convicted of abetment by conspiracy to assist another to retain benefits from criminal conduct, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.
In the first half of 2025, over $456 million was lost to scams in Singapore, with almost 20,000 cases reported.
Government official impersonation scams were among the top 10 scams of concern, with over $126 million lost in more than 1,700 cases. - The Straits Times/ANN
