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SINGAPORE – More than 330 people are under investigation for their alleged involvement in scams in which victims allegedly lost more than $ 4 million, police said in a statement on Saturday (December 19).
This follows a two-week island-wide execution operation carried out between December 5 and 19 by officials from the Department of Commercial Affairs and the seven police ground divisions.
The 221 men and 115 women, aged 15 to 76, are accused of being involved in 641 scams. These mainly included internet love, e-commerce and investment scams, as well as loan scams and fake gambling platforms.
The police are investigating the individuals for the crime of fraud or money laundering.
Those convicted of cheating under section 420 of the Penal Code can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
Individuals convicted of money laundering under the Anti-Corruption, Drug Trafficking, and Other Serious Offenses (Profit Forfeiture) Act can be imprisoned for no more than 10 years and fined up to $ 500,000.
Police said they have a serious opinion against anyone involved in scams.
“To avoid being complicit in crimes, members of the public should always reject requests from others to use your bank account or mobile lines, as you will be responsible if these are linked to illegal transactions,” he added.
More people were misled by scammers in the first eight months of this year, and the 10,402 reported scam cases involved $ 157 million.
These figures were about double from last year, when 5,229 victims lost a total of $ 92 million in the same time period.
The updated figures were shared by the Minister of State for Internal Affairs Desmond Tan in Parliament on October 6 in response to a question about the scam situation here.
He said the police have stepped up their efforts to combat the growing number of scams, such as through greater collaboration with foreign law enforcement agencies and the establishment of specialized units in the police force to combat scams.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit this website or call the Scam Hotline at 1 800-722-6688.
Those with information on scams can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online here.
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