SINGAPORE - Police are investigating 344 people, aged between 16 and 77, suspected of being scammers or money mules and cheating victims of more than $9.84 million.

The 229 men and 115 women were rounded up in an operation from Jan 16 to last Friday (Jan 29), the police said on Sunday.

They are believed to have cheated victims in 607 cases, including Internet love scams, fraudulent e-commerce deals and scams where Chinese officials were impersonated. There were also cases involving fake gambling platforms and loan scams.

The cases were detected based on police reports lodged by victims, said a police spokesman.

The police's Anti-Scam Centre, which acts as a "nerve centre" for investigating scam-related crimes, works with banks to retrieve bank records and analyse the transactions. Enforcement operations are then carried out to find the suspects.

Those arrested in the latest police operation are being investigated for cheating, money laundering or providing payment services without a licence.

Anyone found guilty of cheating can be fined and jailed for up to 10 years, while those found guilty of money laundering can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000.

If convicted of carrying on a business providing payment services without a licence, a person may be fined up to $125,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

Police advised members of the public to avoid being an accomplice to crimes by rejecting requests by others to use their bank accounts or mobile lines, as they will be held accountable if these accounts are linked to illegal transactions.

For scam-related advice, the public can call the anti-scam helpline on 1800-722-6688 or visit this website.

Those who wish to provide information on scams may call the police on 1800-255-0000, or send the information online here.