A Malaysian man, aged 31 will be charged in court on 25 August 2025 for his suspected involvement in a case of government official impersonation scam (“GOIS”).
On 12 August 2025, the Police received a report of GOIS involving the impersonation of a government official purportedly from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The victim was told that he had been implicated in a money-laundering investigation and was instructed to surrender funds for investigations purposes. Following the scammers’ instructions, the victim handed over $50,000 in cash to the 31-year-old man, who acted as a money mule.
Through extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command established the identity of the man and arrested him on 24 August 2025, when he re-entered Singapore.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to be involved in at least four other similar cases and had allegedly been tasked by unknown persons to collect cash from victims of GOIS. The monies collected were then handed over to the said unknown persons.
The man will be charged in court on 25 August 2025 with the offence of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct under Section 51(1)(a) and punishable under Section 51(5) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 read with Section 109 and Section 108B of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years, a fine not exceeding $500,000 or both.
The Police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. The Police would like to remind members of the public never to transfer monies, hand monies or other valuables to any unknown persons or persons whose identity you did not verify.
Members of the public should take note that government officials will never do the following over a phone call:
- Ask you to transfer money
- Ask you to disclose bank log-in details
- Ask you to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores
- Transfer your call to Police
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
24 August 2025 @ 11:40 AM