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A 19-year-old Singaporean man and a 29-year-old Malaysian man, were arrested on 30 March 2026 for their suspected involvement in a case of Government Official Impersonation Scam (GOIS). The Malaysian man is the tenth Malaysian to be arrested for similar cases in March this year, and he will be charged in Court on 1 April 2026. Investigation into the 19-year-old man is ongoing.

On 28 March 2026, the Police received a report from a 86-year-old victim who had received calls from an unknown person claiming to be from SIMBA Telecom. The victim was informed that his identify was used to purchase equipment. Another caller who was purportedly from the Ministry of Law called the victim shortly after and directed the victim to transfer  close to $13,000 to a specified bank account to prove that he did not purchase the equipment The victim complied and transferred the requested amount accordingly, but realised he had been scammed after he told his family about the matter.

Through extensive follow-up investigation by the Anti-Scam Command and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, an operation was mounted to establish the identities of the bank account holder and an unknown subject who had made withdrawals from the said bank account. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 19-year-old man relinquished control of his bank account to an unknown person for monetary benefits while the 29-year-old man was allegedly tasked by unknown persons, believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate, to withdraw cash using ATM cards provided to him and hand over the withdrawn cash to them. Both men were swiftly arrested on 30 March 2026.  

The 29-year-old man will be charged on 1 April 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 dealing with scam proceeds, including 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.