SINGAPORE: A total of 52 people are being investigated for their suspected involvement in registering SIM cards for illicit purposes, said the police on Friday (Jan 23).
Twenty-two men and 13 women, aged between 16 and 38, were arrested in an islandwide enforcement operation carried out between Jan 8 and 16. Another 10 men and seven women, aged between 16 and 65, are assisting with investigations.
These individuals were allegedly instructed to sign up for and purchase SIM cards in bulk from different retailers, with preliminary investigations revealing they were offered cash rewards of between S$15 and $20 per registered SIM card, said the police.
These subscribers then passed 30 to 69 registered SIM cards to the syndicate’s courier.
“Criminal syndicates exploit local SIM cards as a channel of communication for scams, unlicensed moneylending and vice, among other illicit activities,” said the police.
Anyone found guilty of knowingly providing a registered SIM card to another person to facilitate a crime for any gain can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.
Earlier on Jan 23, the police and the Infocomm Media Development Authority announced the tightening of SIM card registration processes, with telco customers allowed to register up to only 10 postpaid SIM cards in Singapore from Feb 28.
The move is the latest salvo in a series of anti-scam measures to protect people against scams.
Stiffer penalties for convicted scammers, including compulsory caning, kicked in on Dec 30, 2025.
Under the new rules, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, and up to 24 strokes.
Scam mules, who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds and providing SIM cards and Singpass credentials, can face up to 12 strokes of the cane. They will also not be allowed to register new SIM cards.
Several people were charged in 2025 over their role in fraudulently registering SIM cards for monetary gain.
A 19-year-old man was remanded in September 2025 for recruiting people to use their personal information to buy SIM cards, which were then used to make scam calls. - The Straits Times/ANN
