72 people under probe for alleged involvement in registering SIM cards for illicit purposes

SINGAPORE – Forty-five people were arrested, and 27 others being investigated for their suspected involvement in registering SIM cards for illicit purposes.

This follows an island-wide enforcement between March 2 and March 13 against people registering postpaid SIM cards that were subsequently linked to criminal activities, said the police in a statement on March 13.

Officers from the Anti-Scam Command and seven police land divisions were involved in this sting.

Thirty-seven men and eight women – aged between 17 and 59 – were arrested for their suspected involvement in providing registered postpaid SIM cards for profit, said the police.

Another 19 men and eight women – aged between 16 and 54 – are assisting with investigations, they added.

Preliminary investigations indicate that these people were offered between $10 and $20 for each registered SIM card, the police said.

These subscribers were purportedly told to sign up and buy SIM cards in bulk from different retailers, and handed over between 30 and 83 registered SIM cards to the syndicate’s courier, the police added.

The police said criminal syndicates exploit local SIM cards as a communication channel for scams, illegal money lending and vice, among other illicit activities.

Those convicted of knowingly providing a registered SIM card to another person to facilitate a crime for any gain can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

Information on the misuse of SIM cards can be found at www.police.gov.sg/Advisories/Misuse-of-SIM-Card-Offences.

To report someone who could be involved in the registration of SIM cards for illicit purposes, call the police on 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential, the police said.