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The Police will be charging a 23-year-old Malaysian man for his suspected involvement in scams.

On 11 August 2026, the Malaysian man entered Singapore and was directed by officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for enhanced checks at Woodlands Checkpoint Arrival Bus Hall. During the checks, inking instruments bearing the emblems of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Home Affairs were discovered on him, along with several fake employee passes bearing his photograph. 

Investigations revealed that the man had no employment history with any of the organisations whose passes were found on him. Such counterfeit passes and official-looking instruments are tactics commonly employed by scammers to lend credibility to their operations,  deceiving victims into believing they are dealing with representatives of a legitimate organisation.

The man will be charged in court on 13 August 2026 with the offence of making or possessing a counterfeit instrument with intent to commit forgery under Section 473 of the Penal Code 1871. The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a fine.

Members of the public are advised to: 

• Ask as many questions as needed to understand any investment opportunity being presented. If the company is unable or unwilling to answer your questions, treat this as a warning sign. 
• Research the company, its owners, directors, and management to assess whether the investment opportunity is genuine. 
• Verify the credentials of the company and its representatives using available resources, including the Financial Institutions Directory, Register of Representatives and Investor Alert List on the MAS’ website (www.mas.gov.sg). 
• Ensure that any mobile applications you download are legitimate and available on official app stores. 
• Checkuser reviews and ratings of applications before downloading them even if they appear legitimate and are available on official app stores. 
• Verify the authenticity of court orders via Authentic Court Orders (ACO) portal at www.courtorders.gov.sg), using the unique QR code or access code found on the court order.
• Verify the authenticity of court documents through the official contact channels listed on the Singapore Courts’ website at www.judiciary.gov.sg.  

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, visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

Fake employee passes

Inking instruments resembling Supreme Court and MHA emblem