412 people under probe for suspected involvement in scams linked to reportedly $10m in losses
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These include investment scams, job scams and Internet love scams, among other scams.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – The police are investigating 412 individuals suspected to be involved in more than 1,600 scams.
These include investment scams, e-commerce scams, impersonation scams, job scams, government official impersonation scams and Internet love scams, which caused victims to reportedly lose over $10 million.
A total of 295 men and 117 women aged between 15 and 78 are under investigation for their suspected involvement in scams as scammers or money mules, after an operation was conducted from Sept 15 to Thursday, the police said on Friday.
The men and women are being investigated for the alleged offences of cheating, money laundering or providing payment services without a licence, said the police.
The offence of cheating carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine, while money laundering carries a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.
If found guilty of carrying on a business to provide any type of payment service in Singapore without a licence, a person could be fined up to $125,000, jailed for up to three years, 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,” said the police.
“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.”
According to the police’s mid-year scam statistics for 2023, there were 22,339 scam cases reported from January to June,
But the total amount that victims lost in the first half of 2023 dipped slightly to $334.5 million from $342.1 million in the same period in 2022.
Scam victims in Singapore lost a total of $660.7 million in 2022, up from $632 million in 2021.
For more information on scams, visit scamalert.sg www.police.gov.sg/iw itness
