3 men charged after answering Telegram ads offering up to $600 for their online banking credentials

Three men were charged separately in court on April 4 for their suspected involvement in money laundering activities linked to various scams such as job and investment scams.

One of them, a 28-year-old man, allegedly responded to an online job advertisement on Telegram which offered him $500 per month to open a crypto mining account and share his Singpass and bank account login credentials in November 2022.

He agreed and his bank accounts were subsequently used to launder proceeds from job and investment scams.

In May 2023, another man, 29, allegedly responded to a fast cash offer on Telegram which offered him $600 for sharing his Internet banking credentials.

He later disclosed his Internet banking credentials to an unknown person and his bank account was subsequently used to launder proceeds of crime from job scams.

In October 2023, the third man, 20, allegedly responded to an online advertisement on Telegram which offered him $600 for sharing his bank account details and Internet banking credentials.

He agreed and his bank account was subsequently used to launder proceeds from a job scam.

All three were charged with abetting to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system, which carries a fine not exceeding $5,000, an imprisonment term not exceeding two years, or both, for first-time offenders.

The first man was also charged with the unauthorised disclosure of access code, which carries an imprisonment term not exceeding three years, a fine not exceeding $10,000, or both, for first-time offenders.

In another case, a 26-year-old man was charged in court on the same day for allegedly committing a rental scam.

On July 13, 2023, he allegedly deceived a victim into believing that he had a rental room to offer.

After the victim paid a deposit to the man to secure the rental, the man became uncontactable. Investigations revealed that the man did not have any room to offer.

He was charged with cheating, which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.