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342 suspected scammers & money mules in S’pore investigated for cases where victims lost over S$6.7M

Police investigate 342 people for over 870 scam cases

In a two-week operation between 24 Oct and 6 Nov, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) investigated hundreds of individuals suspected of cheating or money laundering.

342 suspected scammers and money mules are assisting in investigations for over 870 cases of scams.

Victims of these scams have reportedly lost more than S$6.57 million in total.

Suspects involved in multiple types of scams

Of the individuals under investigation, 114 are women and 228 are men.

According to the SPF, the suspected scammers and money mules are aged between 15 and 74.

The police also provided more information on the types of scams these individuals were believed to be involved in.

While majority of the cases were e-commerce scams, others include:

  • Friend impersonation scams
  • Job scams
  • Government official impersonation scmas
  • Investment scams
  • Rental scams

Individuals could be jailed up to 10 years

The SPF added that the individuals are being investigated for alleged offences of cheating, money laundering, and providing payment services without a licence.

Those found guilty of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871 could be punished with imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine.

 

Those caught money laundering under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 could also be imprisoned for up to 10 years, as well as fined up to S$500,000.

Providing payment services without a licence under the Payment Services Act 2019 carries a fine of up to S$125,000,  jail time of up to three years, or both.

Also read: MHA introduces caning for scammers & money mules after victims in S’pore lost S$3.7B to scams since 2020

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Featured image adapted from South_agency on Canva and MustShareNews.

Bryan Quek

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Bryan Quek