Two men aged 19 and 21, and two teenagers, both aged 17, will be charged in court on 8 March 2024, for their suspected involvement in money laundering activities linked to various scams such as Job Scam, Friend Impersonation Scam, E-Commerce Scam, Investment Scam and Phishing Scam.
Investigations revealed that the four persons are suspected to be involved in the following cases of money laundering. The cases are:
- In May 2023, the 19-year-old man responded to an online advertisement on Telegram which offered him $2,300 to relinquish three bank accounts. He opened three bank accounts and later disclosed his Internet banking credentials to an unknown person. His bank accounts were subsequently used to launder proceeds of crime from job scams and friend impersonation scams. He will be charged with offences of conspiring to cheat the banks into opening bank accounts under Section 417 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code 1871 and abetting to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system under Section 3(1) read with Section 12(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993,
- In October 2023, the 17-year-old teenager responded to an online advertisement on Telegram which offered him $3,000 for sharing his Singpass credentials. He later disclosed his Singpass credentials to an unknown person, which were then used to open one bank account. This bank account was subsequently used to launder proceeds of crime from a phishing scam. He will be charged with the offence of unauthorised disclosure of access code under Section 8(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993.
- In November 2023, the 21-year-old man responded to an online advertisement on Telegram which offered him $1,300 for sharing his Internet banking credentials. He later disclosed his Internet banking credentials to an unknown person. His bank account was subsequently used to launder proceeds of crime from job scams. He will be charged with the offence of unauthorised disclosure of access code under Section 8(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993,
- In January 2024, the other 17-year-old teenager was offered $600 from her acquaintance for opening a bank account. She opened one bank account and later disclosed her Internet banking credentials to her acquaintance. Her bank account was subsequently used to launder proceeds of crime from e-commerce scams, job scams and investment scams. She will be charged with offences of conspiring to cheat the bank into opening a bank account under Section 417 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code 1871 and abetting to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system under Section 3(1) read with Section 12(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993,
For conspiring to cheat the banks into opening bank accounts, the offence under Section 417 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term not exceeding three years, a fine, or both.
The offence of abetting to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system under Section 3(1) read with Section 12 of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries a fine not exceeding $5,000, an imprisonment term not exceeding two years, or both, for first-time offenders.
The offence of unauthorised disclosure of access code, under Section 8(1), punishable under Section 8(2) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries an imprisonment term not exceeding three years a fine not exceeding $10,000, or both, for first-time offenders.
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 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/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
07 March 2024 @ 6:40 PM