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A 27-year-old Malaysian man will be charged in court on 25 March 2026 for his suspected involvement in a case of Government Official Impersonation Scam (GOIS).  In March 2026 alone, the Police has arrested nine Malaysians for similar cases.

On 22 March 2026, the Police received a report from a 29-year-old victim who had received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from M1 Singapore, who informed him of an issue with his existing contract. The victim denied having any account with M1 and the caller claimed that his identity could have been misused. The victim’s call was then transferred to another unknown person claiming to be from the “Monetary Authority of Singapore” who informed the victim that he was under investigation for identity fraud and money-laundering. The victim was instructed to provide information about his bank accounts and told to prepare cash of $9,000 to be handed over for investigation to the “Monetary Authority of Singapore”. The victim was also warned that he would be arrested if he did not comply with the instructions. Out of fear, the victim handed over $9,000 to an unknown man in the vicinity of Ubi on 21 March 2026. 

Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command established the identity of the 27-year-old man and he was subsequently arrested on 24 March 2026. Fake identification passes were seized as case exhibits.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 27-year-old man had allegedly been tasked by unknown individuals, believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate, to collect cash and valuables from scam victims and hand them over to other unknown persons. 

The man will be charged in court on 25 March 2026 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.

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. 

PHOTOS OF SEIZED CASE EXHIBITS