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Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Carousell buyers make police reports over missing Pokemon cards, seller blames supplier who's arrested
Three men were arrested after some Carousell buyers did not get their Pokemon trading cards. The police said they received several reports between May and June made by buyers cheated by a Carousell seller. After they made payment via bank transfers, they did not receive the cards. When questioned, the seller claimed he was in a business venture with another supplier who did not honour the transactions upon receiving payments. Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identities of the supplier and his accomplices and arrested them on June 26 and 27 June. The trio are believed to be involved in at least 50 cases of such scams and purportedly cheated victims out of at least $57,000. One man, 26, were to be charged in court on June 28 with assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct, which is punishable with an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine not exceeding $50,000 or both. The two other men, aged 21 and 28, were to be charged on the same day with accessing without authority bank accounts belonging to separate individual to withdraw payments. The offence is punishable with an imprisonment term of up to two years, a fine of up to $5,000 or both. The police reminded members of the public to exercise caution when buying products from non-authorised platforms. Keep communications within the platform and transact in person so that you can inspect the products before making payment. Be wary of e-commerce scam red flags such as large discounts for faster transactions. Do not transfer money to anyone you do not know. Never disclose your personal information, internet banking or one-time passwords to anyone. If you are in doubt, call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 to check. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit Click here to contribute a story or submit it to our WhatsApp Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on:
Straits Times
19-06-2025
- Straits Times
223 people under investigation over scams involving more than $3.89m in losses
The suspects are aged between 15 and 89. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI 223 people under investigation over scams involving more than $3.89m in losses SINGAPORE - Some 223 people , suspected to be scammers or money mules, are assisting the police with investigations over scam cases in which victims lost more than $3.89 million. The suspects - comprising 70 women and 153 men , aged between 15 and 89 - are believed to be involved in more than 790 cases of scams , said the police in a statement on June 19. The cases comprise mainly friend impersonation scams, investment scams, job scams, e-commerce scams, government official impersonation scams and rental scams. The suspects were caught during a two-week operation from June 6 to 19 that was conducted by officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and the seven police land divisions. They are being investigated for the alleged offences of cheating, money laundering or providing payment services without a licence, said the police. For the offence of cheating, those found guilty may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined . If found guilty of money laundering, they may be jailed for up to 10 years , fined up to $500,000 , or both . Those found guilty of providing payment services without a licence in Singapore may be jailed for up to three years , fined up to $125,000 , or both . The police advise members of the public to reject any requests by others to use their bank account or mobile lines, or they may become an accomplice to crimes and will be held accountable. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799. Anyone with information on scams may call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
AsiaOne
18-06-2025
- AsiaOne
11 arrested in joint operation by Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia police against scam syndicate, Singapore News
A joint operation targeting a transnational scam syndicate saw the arrest of 11 individuals aged between 24 and 48 across Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The operation, which took place from April to June this year, involved the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), said SPF in a statement released on Tuesday (June 17). During the operation, officers from SPF's Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), Criminal Investigation Department and Police Intelligence Department worked closely with their counterparts from HKPF and RMP to target multiple locations across the three jurisdictions. Investigations revealed that the syndicate had established a sophisticated criminal network spanning Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The syndicate utilised Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Global System for Mobile (GSM) gateway devices, allowing scam calls to be placed from computers and laptops to mobile phones. It was also discovered that the syndicate employed an advanced, cloud-based remote operating system. This enabled them to make fraudulent calls through local mobile phone networks despite being stationed elsewhere, leading victims in Singapore to believe they were receiving calls from within the country. Police seized 226 GSM gateway devices — 76 from Singapore — while conducting raids at various locations in the three jurisdictions. 141 of them were confiscated in Hong Kong. Among the 11 individuals who were arrested for their suspected involvement in the syndicate was a 29-year-old male suspect. He was arrested in Malaysia on June 3 before being handed over to Singapore and charged in court two days later for being a party to a criminal conspiracy to commit cheating offences. If convicted, he could face an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine. Commenting on the operation, CAD Director David Chew stressed that "a transnational threat requires a transnational response". "Scam syndicates build sophisticated transnational cloud network infrastructure to launch attacks on our citizenry," he said. "This successful operation demonstrates the strong partnership between SPF, HKPF and RMP to combat these transnational scam syndicates." "The coordinated efforts with our foreign counterparts have been instrumental in arresting the criminals maintaining this criminal infrastructure and dismantling it," he added. Chew also assured that the SPF will continue to work closely with its partners to detect, deter and disrupt such criminal activities and prosecute those behind them to the fullest extent of the law. Those who wish to learn more about scams can visit or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799, the police added. Anyone with information on such scams may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit a report online at All information will be kept strictly confidential. [[nid:718792]]
Online Citizen
16-06-2025
- Online Citizen
Authorities prevent $149,000 loss in impersonation scam targeting 55-year-old woman
SINGAPORE: A 55-year-old woman in Singapore narrowly avoided losing $149,000 after falling victim to a scam involving fraudsters posing as government officials. The ruse began with a phone call in May 2025 claiming that her credit card had been misused. The caller, who identified himself as a bank officer, alleged that the woman's credit card had been used for unauthorised purchases in China, the police said in a news release on Tuesday (10 June). When she denied making any such transactions, the call was transferred to another scammer pretending to be a police officer. The fake officer told her she was under investigation for money laundering and threatened her with 60 days' detention if she did not cooperate. Fearing arrest, she followed their instructions and, on 24 May 2025, transferred more than $49,000 to a MariBank account. The scammers falsely assured her that the transfer would not affect her account balance. MariBank, a digital bank owned by Sea Limited, flagged the transaction as suspicious through its monitoring system and immediately alerted the Anti-Scam Centre (ASC). ASC officers quickly intervened, engaged with the victim, and successfully convinced her that she had been targeted by scammers. Swift action by ASC and MariBank led to the recovery of $49,000 and prevented further potential losses of about $100,000. The police urged the public to stay vigilant and adopt precautionary measures, such as enabling international call blocking on mobile devices, activating two-factor or multifactor authentication for online accounts, and using the 'Money Lock' feature on bank accounts to safeguard savings. Members of the public are also encouraged to verify suspicious claims with official sources, such as the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 or the website Personal details—including SingPass credentials, CPF information, internet banking details, and One-Time Passwords (OTPs)—should never be disclosed to unknown parties. Individuals should also closely monitor transaction alerts sent by their banks. Anyone who suspects they have fallen victim to a scam should contact their bank immediately to block unauthorised transactions and make a police report. Suspicious accounts or chat groups should also be reported to the authorities. According to the Singapore Police Force's Annual Scams and Cybercrime Brief 2024, there were 1,504 reported cases of government official impersonation scams last year, resulting in at least S$151.3 million in losses. Victims aged between 50 and 64 formed the largest group, accounting for 28.6 per cent of cases. Scammers primarily contacted victims via phone calls and WhatsApp messages. For more information or assistance, members of the public can visit or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
The Star
01-06-2025
- The Star
41 suspected money mules in Singapore to be charged over alleged involvement in various scams
Many of the suspects were promised a commission of up to $9,000 for their bank or Singpass accounts, but were never paid. - Photo: Singapore Police Force SINGAPORE: Forty-one people are expected to be charged in the coming week for allegedly acting as money mules or allowing related activities in a variety of scams. The 32 men and nine women, aged between 16 and 64, are suspected of being involved in scams such as government official impersonation scams, rental scams, job scams, fake friend call scams and e-commerce scams. Between June 2 and 6, the 41 suspects are expected to be charged with various offences, such as helping another person retain the benefits from criminal conduct in certain circumstances, and abetment to cheating. Other offences include allowing unauthorised access to computer material, and illegally disclosing passwords or access codes to Singpass, the national digital identity service. Among the suspects, 35 are accused of having relinquished or sold their bank accounts and enabling criminal syndicates to commit money laundering. Some allegedly tricked banks into opening personal accounts before handing over the ATM cards and iBanking credentials to unknown people. Another group of suspects is believed to have unlawfully disclosed their Singpass credentials, enabling criminal syndicates to misuse their identities to open bank accounts. Many of the suspects were promised a commission of up to $9,000 for their bank or Singpass accounts, but were never paid. Those convicted of assisting another person to retain the benefits from criminal conduct or cheating can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. Anyone found guilty of facilitating unauthorised access to computer material for the first time can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both. If convicted of illegally disclosing passwords or access codes for Singpass, the suspects can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. To avoid being implicated in such crimes, the police urge the public to always reject requests by others to use their bank or Singpass accounts. The public should also be wary of seemingly attractive money-making opportunities that promise fast and east payouts for the use of these personal accounts. 'Anyone who allows their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others will be held accountable if these transactions are linked to crimes,' the police said. For more information on scams, the public can visit or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799. Anyone with information on scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit the information online at Scam victims in Singapore lost $1.1 billion in 2024, marking a record high amount of losses suffered in a single year. This is around 70 per cent higher than the $651.8 million that scammers took in 2023, according to police figures released on Feb 25. Police also saw a record high number of scam reports in 2024, with 51,501 cases recorded, compared with 46,563 cases in the previous year. A total of 230 money mules were charged between August 2024 and March 2025, under tougher sentencing guidelines introduced on Aug 21, 2024. All adult offenders charged during this period were handed jail terms of at least six months, while those aged below 21 were sent for reformative training, said the police. - The Straits Times/ANN
