34-year-old Malaysian to be charged over alleged scam; 17 arrested since March

A 34-year-old Malaysian man will be charged in court today (April 25) for his alleged involvement in a case of government officials impersonation scam.

Following his arrest on Friday, the number of Malaysians arrested in Singapore for facilitating scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables obtained from scams now stands at 17.

In a news release after the man's arrest, the police said the 34-year-old was identified and arrested within 10 days of the report being lodged on April 14, after their officers from Clementi Police Division and the Anti-Scam Command conducted extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations.

Call transferred to 'MAS officer' for investigation

Similar to other cases of government officials impersonation scams, the female victim was transferred to persons claiming to be from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for "investigations" after she denied having enrolled in a telco mobile line contract plan.

The scammers then instilled fear and created a sense of urgency by falsely claiming that she was being investigated for money laundering.

Believing that she was really under investigations, the female victim handed over $2,100 in cash.

If found guilty of the offence of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct, the 34-year-old could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $100,000, or both.

Continued trend of Malaysians assisting scam syndicates

On April 17, two Malaysians, aged 35 and 39, were charged in court for the same offence.

The police said they have continued to observe an increasing trend of Malaysians travelling to Singapore to assist scam syndicates in collecting cash, gold and valuables from victims. 

They reminded would-be perpetrators that anyone involved in scams will be dealt with in accordance with the law. 

Members of the public are also reminded that government officials will never ask anyone to transfer money over the phone, request bank details, transfer a call to the police, or instruct anyone to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores. 

If in doubt, they may call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799. 

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editor@asiaone.com