31 men and 13 women, aged between 23 and 68, are assisting with Police investigations following a seven-day operation conducted by Bedok Police Division between 22 and 28 April 2019. The suspects are believed to be involved in 52 scams and commercial crime-related cases with transactions exceeding $800,000. These cases include e-commerce scams, loan scams and commercial frauds.
The suspects are being investigated for cheating which carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine under the Penal Code, or money laundering which carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to 10 years and/or a fine of up to S$500,000 under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
Members of the public should take the following precautions to avoid becoming a victim of scams:
- Do not share your personal information such as your identification number, bank account number, One-Time Passwords, or SMS-verification codes with anyone. Your personal information may be abused by scammers.
- Bear in mind that the party you are dealing with online is a stranger. Before performing a transaction, find out how the online site safeguards your interest or can help you resolve disputes;
- Buy goods from authorised dealers. If advanced payments are required, use shopping platforms that provide arrangements to only release your payment to the seller upon your receipt of the item; and
- Be mindful that although scammers may provide a copy of an Identification Card or Driver’s licence to gain your trust, it may not necessarily belong to the person communicating with you online.
To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or handphone lines as you will be held accountable if there are illegal transactions found in the accounts.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline 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/iwitness.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
29 April 2019 @ 6:35 PM