41 people arrested over money mule activities for various scams

Forty-one people, aged between 16 and 56, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in various scams including impersonation schemes, internet love cons, phishing attacks, rental scams, and more. 

The police said in a statement that they will be charged in court on Feb 15 over offences connected to their participation in money mule activities.

Thirty-one of the suspects had allegedly sold or rented their bank accounts to criminal syndicates or aided these criminals by carrying out bank transfers and withdrawals.

Some are believed to have deceived banks into opening new accounts before handing over their ATM cards and Internet banking details to the syndicates.

The remaining 10 allegedly sold their Singpass credentials to scammers so that they could open new bank accounts.

If found guilty of cheating, they can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.

Those convicted of assisting others to retain benefits from criminal conduct can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.

For first-time offenders, facilitating unauthorised access to computer materials is punishable with a fine, a jail term of up to two years, or both.

First-time offenders found to have provided unauthorised disclosure of access codes can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.

The offence of carrying on an unlicensed business of providing payment services is punishable with a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to $125,000, or both.

The police said they take a serious view of people who may be involved in scams and frauds. Perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam helpline at 1800-722-6688.

If you have information on such scams, call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.