PUBLISHED ONMarch 13, 2026 3:12 AMBYKhoo Yi-HangA total of 136 men and 85 women are under investigation following a two-week police operation between Feb 26 and March 11, the police said on Thursday (March 12).
The operation, involving officers from the police's commercial affairs department and seven police land divisions, resulted in investigations into 221 individuals aged between 17 and 81 for their suspected involvement in scams as scammers or money mules.
They are believed to be involved in over 1,080 scam cases comprising mostly e-commerce scams, friend impersonation scams, job scams, government official impersonation scams, investment scams and rental scams.
These cases have resulted in losses of over $5.3 million, the police said.
The alleged offences of the individuals involved include cheating, money laundering, and providing payment services without a licence.
If found guilty of cheating, an individual may face a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine, while those convicted of money laundering may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000.
Carrying on a business to provide any type of payment service without a licence may result in a fine of up to $125,000, a jail term for up to three years, or both.
Additionally, scammers as well as members or recruiters of scam syndicates will also face mandatory caning of at least six strokes and up to 24, as part of amendments introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs in October last year which took effect on Dec 30, 2025.
Scam mules who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds, providing SIM cards and SingPass credentials may face up to 12 strokes of the cane.
The police also stressed that those found linked to such crimes will be held accountable, and individuals involved in mule-related offences may face restrictions to their banking services and mobile line subscriptions to prevent further scams from occurring.
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khooyihang@asiaone.com