4 years’ jail for man who helped register 574 SIM cards for scam syndicate
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Over a period of four months, Al Hafirqan Al Hadisht became linked to the registration of 574 SIM cards used to perpetuate scams by helping to recruit runners and middlemen.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: LIANHE ZAOBAO
SINGAPORE – A man helped to register SIM cards knowing they were for unlawful use, becoming a pivotal player in a scam syndicate.
Over a period of four months, he became linked to the registration of 574 SIM cards used to perpetuate scams by helping to recruit runners and middlemen.
Some of the registered SIM cards were later found to be linked to scams in which victims lost around $140,000.
On April 9, Al Hafirqan Al Hadisht, 26, was sentenced to 48 months’ jail.
He had pleaded guilty to six charges of transacting SIM cards registered using another person’s particulars for criminal activity, one charge of voluntarily causing hurt by using a dangerous weapon, and another charge of failing to attend court while out on bail.
The court heard that 17 other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
The prosecution said that in April 2025, the Singapore Police Force was conducting investigations into SIM cards being used to make scam calls.
It was revealed that 574 SIM cards had been registered by 22 individuals, but all led back to Hafirqan.
He later admitted that he recruited two teenagers to purchase SIM cards for him between November 2024 and December 2024.
He would pay the two teens for the act, as well as cover the costs of the SIM cards, while the teens recruited more people through Telegram chat groups.
In mitigation, the defence lawyer said that while Hafirqan knew the SIM cards would be used for unlawful purposes, he was not sure exactly what these were.
“His role in this syndicate was to collect the SIM cards and give them to the third party. He should not be labelled as a mastermind behind this scam. He was the middleman as he was receiving instructions from another person,” said his lawyer.
In response, the prosecutor said it was irrelevant that Hafirqan did not know the purposes for the SIM cards, as his desire to commit crime for wrongful gain was in itself an aggravating factor.
The court also heard that on June 2, 2024, Hafirqan was involved in a fight near Cuppage Plaza off Orchard Road.
Court documents show that he had been drinking alcohol with friends at a club in Cuppage Plaza when one of their group became involved in an altercation with a stranger armed with a knife.
As the dispute continued, the unknown man shouted at Hafirqan, who then seized the man’s knife and hit him on the head with it, causing the man to fall to the floor.
Hafirqan’s group then assaulted the man, kicking him in the head and body. The court heard that the man lost consciousness as a result of the assault.
He was later found to have an orbital fracture.
Hafirqan was arrested on June 4, 2024, and charged in court on June 11, 2024, before being released on bail.
He was rearrested on July 30, 2025, after he failed to attend a pre-trial conference on June 5, 2025.
