The Police have arrested a 31-year-old Malaysian man for his suspected involvement in cases of Government Official Impersonation Scam (“GOIS”).
Between 12 July and 8 August 2025, the Police received several reports of GOIS where victims had allegedly handed over cash to an unknown man after being contacted by scammers, claiming to be from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Victims of this scam variant would be informed that their bank accounts had been implicated in money laundering activities, or that their personal information had been compromised. They would then be prompted to surrender their money or valuables to other persons, or transfer money to a specified bank account for the purpose of investigations. After complying with the instructions, the victims would realise they had been scammed only when they failed to receive their refunds, or the scammers became uncontactable.
Through extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command established the identity of the man and arrested him on 20 August 2025.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had allegedly been tasked by an unknown person to collect cash from victims of GOIS, and bring the collected cash to be handed over to the unknown person. The man is believed to be involved in other similar cases. The Police recovered and seized cash amounting to $25,000 from the man.
The man will be charged in court on 22 August 2025 with the offence of abetment by conspiracy to assist 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 take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. The Police would like to remind members of the public never to transfer monies, hand monies or other valuables to any unknown persons or persons whose identity you did not verify.
Members of the public are encouraged to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- ADD – Add the ScamShield app to block calls and filter SMSes. Set transaction limits that are adequate for daily expenses, and lower transaction notification thresholds. Alert the bank immediately of any suspicious activity in your bank account. Activate the Money Lock feature of your bank to “lock up” a portion of your money so that it cannot be transferred out digitally by anyone.
b. CHECK – Check for scam signs with official sources such as the ScamShield App. Call and check with the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
c. TELL – Tell the authorities, family, and friends about scams. Report any fraudulent transactions to your bank immediately and make a police report.
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it 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.
Case exhibits seized ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
21 August 2025 @ 3:18 PM