PUBLISHED ONApril 28, 2026 1:45 PMBYSean LerA 27-year-old Malaysian man and a 34-year-old Malaysian woman will be charged in court on Wednesday (April 29) over their suspected roles in a scam involving the impersonation of government officials.
Following their arrests on Monday, the number of Malaysians nabbed in Singapore for allegedly helping scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables since March this year now stands at 19.
In a news release on Tuesday, the police said they received information the 27-year-old man had entered Singapore on an assignment arranged by scam syndicates — to collect around $100,000 worth of gold bars from an elderly male victim.
Acting on fresh leads arising from the arrest, investigators then identified the 34-year-old woman, who is believed to be linked to the same syndicate.
The woman was arrested on the same day, and investigators found $24,000 worth of cash and valuables handed over by another victim — a 54-year-old woman.
Similar to other cases of government officials impersonation scams reported throughout this year, both the 71-year-old and 54-year-old victims were told by "representatives of government agencies" that they were involved in money laundering or criminal investigations.
To prove their innocence, they were told to hand over cash and/or valuables to prove their funds were clean and untainted.
Such episodes would usually begin with victims receiving a call from unknown people claiming to be representatives of telco companies or financial institutions.
When victims denied having signed up for contracts, they would be told their particulars may have been misused and they would be referred to a representative from the police, the Monetary Authority of Singapore or the Ministry of Law.
These "representatives of government agencies" will then claim the victims were being investigated, duping them into handing over cash and/or valuables to prove their innocence. Victims would be asked to pass their assets to unknown people.
These unknown people include Malaysians who would act as mules. After collecting victims' assets, the mules would pass them to other scam syndicate members.
On April 25, a 34-year-old man became the 17th Malaysian charged for facilitating scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables.
The police warned 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 can call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
[[nid:734468]]