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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police (SPF) is investigating 344 individuals for their alleged involvement as scammers or money mules in some 607 scam cases.
The victims of those scams reportedly lost more than S $ 9.84 million, police said in a press release on Saturday (January 30).
The suspects are between 16 and 77 years old, and are 229 men and 115 women.
“The suspects are believed to be involved in 607 cases of scams, which mainly include internet love scams, e-commerce scams, official Chinese spoofing scams, fake gaming platform scams and loan scams,” he said SPF.
The investigations follow a two-week execution operation across the island by officials from the Department of Commercial Affairs and seven police ground divisions that began on January 16.
READ: Police warn of a new type of phishing scam involving impersonation of government officials
If charged and found guilty of cheating, the suspects could be fined and jailed for up to 10 years. For money laundering, the suspects could also be fined up to S $ 500,000 and jailed for up to 10 years.
Suspects found guilty of providing any type of payment service in Singapore without a license will face a fine of up to S $ 125,000, imprisoned for up to three years or both.
Police take a serious attitude against anyone who may be involved in scams, and the perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law, SPF warned.
“To avoid being complicit in crimes, members of the public should always reject requests from others to use their bank account or mobile lines, as they will be held liable if these are linked to illegal transactions,” the police added.
Anyone with information on these types of scams can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online.
