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The Police will be charging a 23-year-old Malaysian man in court on 23 July 2026 for his suspected involvement in a fake friend call scam. 

On 3 July 2026, the Police received a report from a 69-year-old victim who had received a call the previous day from an “acquaintance” claiming that he had been detained by Singapore Immigration upon arriving at Changi Airport Terminal 4. The caller told the victim that he had failed to declare funds in his bank account and required $20,000 as bail for his temporary release. 

The following morning, the victim went to Changi Airport Terminal 4 and handed $20,000 in cash to an unknown man. She later realised that she had been scammed after being asked to make additional payments via bank transfer. 

Upon receiving the report, officers from the Airport Police Division acted swiftly and identified the man who had collected the cash from the victim. He was arrested on 22 July 2026 at the departure hall of Changi Airport Terminal 4 before he could leave Singapore.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had been recruited by unknown individuals believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate to collect cash from scam victims and pass the proceeds to other unknown persons. 

The man will be charged with the offence of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct under Section 51(a) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to ten years, a fine not exceeding $500,000, or both, and with caning up to 12 strokes.

The Police would like to advise members of the public to be wary of any persons who contact you via an unknown number and asking you for urgent financial help. Always make further checks to verify the identity of the requestors through other sources. Never transfer money to any persons whose identity is not adequately verified.