Police say they are seeing an increasing trend of Malaysians travelling to Singapore to assist scam syndicates. - ST/ANN
SINGAPORE: Four Malaysians are set to be charged on Jan 21 for their suspected involvement in three separate government official impersonation scam cases.
In the first case, a victim lost more than S$1.1 million (US$857,362) after being duped by scammers impersonating government officials who deceive people into transferring large sums of money, said the police in a statement on Jan 20.
The victim lodged a police report on Oct 22.
Investigations revealed that the stolen funds were laundered through a complex network of payment channels and withdrawals via ATMs in Malaysia within hours of the transfers.
Officers from Singapore’s Anti-Scam Command, in collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department, established the identities of two men, aged 24 and 30, and arrested them on Jan 20.
Preliminary investigations found that the two men helped a scam syndicate withdraw cash from ATMs in Malaysia using payment channel cards belonging to scam mules.
The withdrawn cash was then handed over to unknown persons, which formed part of the money laundering operation.
In the second case, a victim lodged a police report on Jan 19 after he received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from HSBC bank.
The person told the victim that there had been unauthorised transactions on an HSBC credit card under his name.
When the victim denied having an HSBC credit card, the call was transferred to the “Monetary Authority of Singapore”. He was then told that he was suspected to be involved in a case of money laundering.
The victim was instructed, as part of the purported investigation, to withdraw money from his bank account and hand over the cash to an investigation officer.
The victim withdrew S$50,000 on the same day and handed it over to a 28-year-old man, acting as the supposed investigation officer, near Jurong Point.
The man was subsequently arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint when he attempted to leave Singapore on the same day.
Preliminary investigations found that the man had allegedly been tasked by unknown persons, believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate, to collect cash from scam victims. The man would then hand over the cash to other unknown persons.
In the third case, an elderly victim lodged a police report on Jan 19 after receiving a call on the same day from a person claiming to be from M1 Singapore.
The person asked the victim if she had subscribed to any lines under the said telco, which she denied.
She then received another call from another person purportedly from the “Monetary Authority of Singapore”, who informed her that she was under investigation.
The person instructed her to provide information on her bank accounts, and told her to prepare cash and to hand it over for investigation and safekeeping by the “Monetary Authority of Singapore”.
The victim was also warned that she would be arrested if she failed to comply with the instructions.
Out of fear, the victim handed over S$15,000 to a 26-year-old woman at the void deck of her residence. She was then told to hand over another S$9,000.
Feeling something was amiss, the victim called the police, who arrived and successfully located and detained the 26-year-old woman.
Preliminary investigations found that the woman was also believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate. She would collect cash from scam victims and then hand it over to other unknown persons.
The two men in the first case will be charged with the offence of abetting unknown persons to secure unauthorised access to a bank’s computer system. They could be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$50,000, or both.
The two persons in the second and third cases will be charged with the offence of abetment by conspiracy to assist another to retain benefits from criminal conduct. They could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to S$500,000, or both.
The police said it is observing an increasing trend of Malaysians travelling to Singapore to assist scam syndicates in collecting cash, gold and valuables from scam victims.
The police reminded that scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates face mandatory caning of between six and 24 strokes.
Scam mules who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes, it added.
Those involved in mule-related offences – including those under investigation, assessed to be at risk, or convicted – may have their banking services and mobile line subscriptions restricted to prevent further scams.
The police reminded members of the public to never give money or valuables to people whose identity they did not verify, and to never place such valuables at a physical location for collection.
They also should not share the screens of their devices with unknown persons.
Government officials, including those from the Ministry of Law and Monetary Authority of Singapore, will never ask members of the public over a call to transfer money, disclose bank log-in details, install mobile apps from unofficial app stores, or transfer their call to the police, said the police. - The Straits Times/ANN
