Five Persons To Be Charged For Suspected Involvement In Money Mule Activities

Two men, aged 20 and 33, and three teenagers aged between 16 and 17, will be charged in court on 5 August 2024 for their suspected involvement in several offences connected to money mule activities, including cheating, facilitating unauthorised access to computer materials and unauthorised disclosure of Singpass access code.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the five individuals had allegedly relinquished their bank and Singpass accounts to criminal syndicates for as much as $1,000. The three teenagers and the 20-year-old man had purportedly cheated the bank into opening new personal bank accounts and relinquishing their iBanking credentials to the criminal syndicates. The 33-year-old man had relinquished the access code of his Singpass account to the criminal syndicates.

The offence of cheating under Section 417 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years and a fine. The offence of facilitating unauthorised access to computer material under Section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries an imprisonment term of up to two years, a fine or both. The offence of unauthorised disclosure of access code under Section 8(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine or both.

The Police take a serious view of these offences and will not hesitate to take action against individuals who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. To avoid being an accomplice in these crimes, members of the public should always reject seemingly attractive money-making opportunities promising fast and easy pay-outs for the use of their Singpass accounts, bank accounts, or allow their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others. The Police would like to remind members of the public that individuals will be held accountable if they are found to be linked to such crimes.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may call the Police Hotline at 1800-255 0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.