Two Nigerian nationals, aged 34 and 37, will be charged in court on 14 May 2019 for their suspected involvement in transnational internet love scams committed between 2017 and 2018. This is the first time overseas-based suspects involved in internet love scams are arrested and sent to Singapore for prosecution.
The two men, believed to be part of an African internet love scam syndicate, are alleged to have recruited two Singaporean women as money mules to receive criminal proceeds linked to internet love scams in Singapore between 2017 and 2018. The two women allegedly received at least S$85,700 from victims in Singapore, and laundered the money by handing the cash to syndicate members in Malaysia. Investigators from the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) conducted a joint investigation with Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) of the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and established the identities of the two men. In an operation on 16 April 2019, CCID officers from RMP arrested the two men in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The two men were brought to Singapore on 13 May 2019. They will be charged in court on 14 May 2019 with the offence of abetting others to dishonestly receive stolen property. If convicted, they can be jailed up to 5 years and fined.
Cross-border internet love scam is a crime concern. In 2018, there were 660 reported cases of such scams where victims in Singapore were cheated of at least $27.5 million. The SPF and RMP will continue joint efforts to take down such scam syndicates. Director CAD, Mr David Chew said, “This case is testament to the strong bond between the SPF and RMP in the fight against crime. This joint investigation shows our common resolve to send a strong deterrent message to criminals who are minded to prey on our citizens from the safety of national boundaries – that we can and will work with our foreign counterparts to identify, arrest and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. I am grateful to Director CCID, Datuk Pahlawan Mazalan Mansor, for his strong commitment and support in fighting transnational scams with us.”
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
13 May 2019 @ 9:15 PM