Taiwanese man arrested for impersonating China officials to scam victims in Singapore

SINGAPORE - A 20-year-old Taiwanese man has been arrested for impersonating officials from China in a series of scams, the Singapore Police Force said on Tuesday (May 8).

One of the victims, a 59-year-old man, made a police report on Monday saying he had been cheated in a phone scam.

He had received a phone call from a man who claimed to be from the Chinese police on May 4.

The scammer told the victim that he was a suspect in a cross-border fraud case and had to transfer money to a Chinese bank account for investigations.

However, the victim told the scammer that he did not know how to make the online transfers.

He was then instructed to withdraw all the money from his bank account and deliver it in person to a man at Toa Payoh Central.

"He complied out of fear and handed over $14,610 on the same day as directed by the caller," said the police.

After extensive follow-up investigations, the 20-year-old Taiwanese suspect was arrested on Monday.

Preliminary investigations revealed that he was believed to be involved in other similar cases.

He will be charged in court with dishonestly receiving stolen property.

If convicted, he can be jailed for up to five years and/or fined.

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