13 people under investigation for SIM card fraud after raid on mobile phone shops

SINGAPORE – Thirteen people are under investigation for the fraudulent registration of post-paid SIM cards following a two-day islandwide raid targeting mobile phone shops, said the police on Saturday.

Among the 13 are four men, aged between 25 and 44, who were arrested for their suspected involvement in the fraudulent registration.

Another six men and three women, aged between 23 and 57, are assisting with investigations.

The operation was conducted on Thursday and Friday.

Police officers from the

Anti-Scam Command office

raided eight mobile phone shops in Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Woodlands, Admiralty, Beach Road, Selegie Road and Indus Road.

Mobile phones and SIM cards were seized.

The police believe that the mobile phone shop retailers accessed computer systems containing registration information for post-paid SIM cards.

According to the police, they had purportedly pre-registered post-paid SIM cards using particulars of their unsuspecting customers or foreigners, and sold them to customers who wanted to conceal their identities.

“Such fraudulently registered post-paid SIM cards can be exploited as an anonymous channel of communication for unlicensed moneylending, scams and vice, among other illicit activities,” said the police.

“Scam syndicates were also found to have used such post-paid SIM cards to contact victims and to communicate among themselves to evade possible detection.”

Investigations are ongoing.

Under the Computer Misuse Act, anyone found guilty of the offence of unauthorised modification of computer material can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

Anyone found guilty of illegally obtaining personal information under the Penal Code can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.