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A 29-year-old Vietnamese man will be charged in court on 4 September 2026 for his suspected involvement in a Government Official Impersonation Scam (GOIS).

On 28 August 2026, the Police received a report from a victim who had received an unsolicited call from an unknown person claiming to be from YouTrip. The caller provided the victim with a purported insurance policy bearing her full name and NRIC number. Believing the policy to be genuine, the victim requested to cancel it and was subsequently contacted by an officer purportedly from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

The victim was falsely informed that her personal particulars had been misused and she was implicated in a criminal case. To support investigations, the victim was instructed to surrender an assortment of jewellery for “forensic examination”. On the same day, the victim handed over jewellery worth about $20,000 to the 29-year-old Vietnamese man.

Through follow-up investigations by the Police’s Cyber Command, and with the assistance from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the man was identified and arrested on 2 September 2026. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had been tasked by unknown persons, believed to be members of a transnational scam syndicate, to collect cash and valuables from scam victims before handing them over to other unknown persons.

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.

Scammers, as well as members and recruiters of scam syndicates, are liable to mandatory caning of between six to 24 strokes. Scam mules who facilitate scams by laundering scam proceeds may also 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 1992. 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, including officials from the MAS, will never: 

• Ask you to transfer money over the phone;   
• Ask you to disclose banking log-in details;   
• Instruct you to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores; or  
• Transfer your call to the Police, or any government officials.
  
  

Members of the public should remain vigilant. Do not trust unsolicited calls, messages or emails, even if the caller appears to possess their personal information. If in doubt, call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 to check. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg.