81-year-old among 280 under probe over scams linked to nearly $4.4m in losses

SINGAPORE – An 81-year-old is among 280 people being investigated for their suspected roles in scams linked to nearly $4.4 million in losses, following a two-week police operation.

A total of 189 men and 91 women, aged between 15 and 81, are suspected of being scammers or money mules, said the police in a statement on Oct 8.

The suspects are believed to have been involved in more than 633 cases of scams, including e-commerce scams, phishing scams, job scams, government official impersonation scams, investment scams and lucky draw scams.

The operation was conducted by officers from the Cyber Command and the seven police land divisions between Sept 24 and Oct 7.

The suspects are being investigated for cheating, money laundering or providing unlicensed payment services.

If found guilty of cheating, they can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined. Those convicted of money laundering can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.

Those guilty of unlicensed payment services can be fined up to $125,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

Scammers, as well as members or recruiters of scam syndicates, face between six and 24 strokes of the cane if convicted. Those who help scammers by laundering scam proceeds, providing SIM cards or providing Singpass credentials could face up to 12 strokes of the cane.

The police said anyone found to be linked to such crimes will be held accountable. Those involved in mule-related offences may also face restrictions on banking services and mobile line subscriptions, the police said.

For more information on scams, visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799. Anyone with information on scams can call the police on 1800-255-0000 or submit information at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential, the police said.