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SINGAPORE – A two-week police operation starting on December 19 resulted in the arrest of 230 people for their role in different scams in which victims lost more than $ 2.9 million.
The 388 ruses involved social media spoofing, internet love scams, scams using fake betting and loan platforms, as well as fraudulent e-commerce deals.
Some of the suspects were also arrested for being money mules.
Police said on Thursday (December 31) that the operation led by the Department of Commercial Affairs, which also involved seven territorial divisions, led to the arrests of 151 men and 79 women. The youngest suspect is 16 years old and the oldest is 66 years old.
They are being investigated for the crime of fraud or money laundering.
Cheating carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine. The convicted money launderers face a prison term of up to 10 years, as well as a fine of up to $ 500,000.
Figures released by police in August showed that the amount of money lost to scams had doubled to $ 82 million in the first half of 2020, from $ 41.6 million in the same period in 2019.
E-commerce scams remained the most common, with the number of cases increasing by 73.8 percent to 2,089 in the first half of 2020, from 1,202 in the same period in 2019.
Police said Thursday that they take a serious opinion of anyone who may be involved in scams, adding that the perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
To avoid being complicit in crimes, citizens should always reject requests from others to use their bank accounts or mobile lines, as they would be liable if these are linked to illegal transactions, police added.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit this website or call the Scam Hotline at 1 800-722-6688.
Anyone with information on these types of scams can call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online.
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