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A 40-year-old Malaysian man will be charged in court on 12 March 2026 for his suspected involvement in a case of Government Official Impersonation Scam (GOIS). This is the third Malaysian arrested and charged for similar cases within seven days.

On 10 March 2026, the Police received a report from the victim who had received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from M1. The caller informed the victim that a new iPhone 17 Pro Max worth $8,000 had been purchased and that a monthly payment of $350 would be charged to her account. When the victim denied having an M1 account or making any purchase, she was given a number to contact to cancel the subscription. The victim contacted the number provided via WhatsApp to request cancellation as instructed and received a photo of an M1 contract with her particulars. She was then told that her cancellation would be processed.

Subsequently, the victim received a video call from a person claiming to be an officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The caller alleged that she was involved in money-laundering activities and required her cooperation in an investigation. She was instructed to pack all her valuables into a bag and hand them over to an unknown person at her void deck. A secret code was given to her for verification with the unknown person. Feeling suspicious, the victim made a ‘999’ call and reported the matter.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had allegedly been tasked by unknown persons, believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate, to collect cash from scam victims and hand over the cash to other unknown persons. The man was subsequently arrested by officers from the Anti-Scam Command on the same day when he attempted to collect the valuables from the victim. Cash of $5,000 found in his possession, which was established to belong to another scam victim, was seized.

The man will be charged with the offence of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct under Section 51 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years, a fine not exceeding $500,000, or both.

The Police continue to observe an increasing trend of Malaysian nationals travelling to Singapore to assist scam syndicates in collecting cash and valuables from scam victims. With effect from 30 December 2025, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates will face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, up to a maximum of 24 strokes. Scam mules who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds will face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes. This includes certain money-laundering offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. 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.

Under the Facility Restriction Framework, individuals involved in mule-related offences – whether they are under investigation and assessed to be at risk, or have been warned, issued with composition sums, prosecuted, or convicted – may face restrictions on banking services and mobile line subscriptions to prevent further facilitation of scams.

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. Members of the public are reminded to:

• Never transfer cash, jewellery or other valuables to unknown persons whose identity has not been verified. 
  
  
• Never leave money or valuables at a location to facilitate subsequent collection.
  
  
• Never share the screen of your device or disclose login credentials to anyone you do not know.

Singapore Government officials will never: 

• Ask you to transfer money over the phone; 
  
  
• Request your banking login details; 
  
  
• Instruct you to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores; or  
  
  
• Transfer your call to the Police.

If you have any information relating to such crimes or are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit information 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. 

PHOTO OF SEIZED CASH