SINGAPORE: A Malaysian man is expected to be charged on Saturday (May 2) over his suspected involvement in a government official impersonation scam.
Investigations found that the man, 40, had been acting as a runner to collect cash, gold and valuables from victims before taking the items back to Malaysia, the police said in a statement on May 1.
He is also believed to have used a fictitious company pass to impersonate a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) accredited officer.
The police said they had received a report on April 29 from a victim who was contacted by someone claiming to be from M1 Singapore.
The unknown person told the victim that he had been enrolled in a M1 mobile line contract plan, and that his mobile line was linked to a money laundering investigation.
The victim denied having signed up for an M1 mobile line and was referred to another scammer claiming to be from MAS.
The scammers falsely led the victim to believe that he was under investigation by MAS for money laundering offences. The victim was then instructed to show proof that his funds were clean.
Following the scammers’ instructions, the victim handed over cash, gold and valuables amounting to around S$140,000 to the 40-year-old man.
During the collections, the man wore a wig to hide his identity, said the police.
Through ground inquiries and follow-up investigations, the police arrested the man on April 30.
He will be charged on May 2 with the offence of abetment by conspiracy to assist another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
If convicted, he may be sentenced to a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.
In their statement, the police said they have observed more Malaysian nationals travelling here to assist scam syndicates in collecting cash and valuables from victims. This latest case brings the number of Malaysians arrested in Singapore since March 2026 for facilitating scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables to 21.
Scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates face mandatory caning of six to 24 strokes if convicted. Those who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds may face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes.
Those involved in mule-related offences may also face restrictions on banking services and mobile line subscriptions to prevent further facilitation of scams.
The police advised the public not to transfer cash or valuables to unknown persons, not to leave money or valuables at a location to facilitate further collection and to never share the screens of their devices or share login credentials with unknown persons.
The police added that government officials will never ask people to transfer money over the phone, request banking login details, instruct people to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores or transfer people’s calls to the police.
Those who have information about such crimes or have doubts may call the police hotline on 1800-255-000. They may also submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness
They may visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799 for more information on scams.
The police added that all information will be kept strictly confidential. - The Straits Times/ANN
