Trio Arrested For Their Suspected Involvement In Scam-Related Activities In A Joint Operation By Police And Dbs Bank

The Police have arrested a 21-year-old man and two women, aged 21 and 39, for their suspected involvement in scam-related activities. This follows a joint operation to clamp down on corporate money mules conducted between 20 and 27 June 2024 by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), seven Police Land Divisions, and DBS Bank. Forty corporate bank accounts containing a total amount of more than S$1.28 million were seized for investigations.

Acting on information provided by DBS Bank's Anti-Mule Team, officers from CAD and the seven Police Land Divisions mounted island-wide raids during a one-week operation and rounded the three subjects. Preliminary investigations revealed that they had allegedly facilitated scams by relinquishing their Singpass credentials to the scammers for monetary gains as high as S$2,000 per account. These Singpass credentials were used to open fake sole proprietorships and corporate bank accounts, which were then used to facilitate the receipt and transfer of money from the victims of scam cases.

Another 37 subjects, aged between 18 and 59, who were suspected to have allowed scammers to open corporate bank accounts using their Singpass credentials, are currently assisting the Police with investigations. Preliminary findings revealed the subjects had unwittingly facilitated the scams through the following ways:

1. Majority handed over their Singpass credentials to unknown persons, or clicked on phishing links provided to them by unknown persons, purportedly for the applications of fake jobs or loans.
   
   
2. Two subjects responded to advertisements on Telegram and provided their Singpass credentials by clicking on dubious links or scanning a QR code provided by unknown persons in return for fast cash.

Investigations are ongoing into the various offences, including assisting another to retain benefits of criminal conduct and unauthorised disclosure of access code. The offence of assisting another to retain benefits of criminal conduct under Section 55A of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, or a fine of up to $50,000, or both. The offence of unauthorised disclosure of access code under Section 8A of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, or a fine up to $10,000, or both.

The Police strongly caution members of the public against allowing other persons to use or access one's Singpass accounts. Those who do so may find themselves implicated in money laundering activities.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.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. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential.