The Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman for her suspected involvement in a case of Chinese Officials Impersonation Scam (“COIS”).
On 5 January 2025 at about 11.00am, the Police received a report from an elderly woman who had fallen victim to a COIS, suffering losses amounting to $290,000. The victim had been deceived by scammers posing as Chinese officials, who claimed her identity had been misused in China.
Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command, Woodlands Police Division and Police Operations Command Centre established the identity of the 18-year-old woman and arrested her within eight hours of the report.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 18-year-old woman, who is a student and on Social Visit Pass, had herself fallen victim to the same COIS. She was believed to have been manipulated into travelling to Singapore and assisting in the scam operations under the false belief that she was helping with official investigations.
The woman is being investigated for the alleged offence of cheating. The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.
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. To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or mobile lines as you will be held accountable if these are linked to crimes.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. Anyone with information on such scams may 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.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
07 January 2025 @ 4:45 PM