On 2 April 2024, the Law Enforcement and Other Matters (LEOM) Bill was passed in Parliament and new offences were introduced to deter the misuse of local SIM cards (i.e. SIM cards, including e-SIMs, registered with Singapore mobile service providers) for criminal activities, including scams.
The new offences allow the Police to take enforcement actions against irresponsible individuals and errant retailers who sell, give away, receive, supply, possess or fraudulently register local SIM cards for crimes.
Overview of the New Offences
The following infographic provides an overview of the new offences targeting three groups of offenders.
What are the new offences to deter the misuse of local SIM cards?
Group of Offenders | Information | Penalties |
Offences targeting irresponsible subscribers |
It will be an offence for individuals, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the local SIM cards would be used for unlawful purposes, to:
Irresponsible subscribers will be deemed liable if they:
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The offences for individuals will carry a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both. |
Offences targeting middlemen |
It will be an offence for middlemen, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the local SIM cards would be used for unlawful purposes, to:
These will cover local SIM cards registered with other persons’ particulars and include unregistered local SIM cards, as these can easily be activated by criminal syndicates using stolen credentials.
Additionally, for SIM cards registered with another person’s particulars, middlemen will be deemed liable in three scenarios:
Did not take reasonable steps to find out the recipients’ purposes for obtaining the local SIM cards |
The offences of receiving, supplying and possessing local SIM cards by individuals will carry a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both. |
Offences targeting errant retailers
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It will be an offence for errant retailers (including their employees acting in the course of their employment) to facilitate fraudulent registrations by registering SIM cards using a person’s personal information knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe
Errant retailers will be deemed liable if they facilitate the fraudulent registrations knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe
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The offences of facilitating fraudulent registrations of local SIM cards will carry a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both. For second or subsequent offences, the penalty will be a fine of up to $20,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both. |
You SIM Card is for your own use only
Do your part by safeguarding your SIM card/s and personal particulars. Do not pass or sell your local SIM cards to others or allow your personal particulars to be used by another person to register for SIM cards.
Watch this video to find out more:
- First Reading of the Law Enforcement and Other Matter Bill
- Second Reading of the Law Enforcement and Other Matter Bill
- Misuse of SIM Card Offences Overview Infographics