PUBLISHED ONSeptember 17, 2025 12:55 AMBYSean LerThree people, aged between 16 and 31, have been arrested for their suspected involvement in recent fake bulk order scams involving impersonation of Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) army personnel.
In a statement on Tuesday night (Sept 16), police said that officers from the Commercial Affairs Department's Anti-scam Command and the Central Police Division carried out raids between Sept 15 and 16.
"The trio were arrested in the vicinity of Middle Road, Woodlands Street 81 and Cantonment Road... Several electronic devices and pre-paid cards were seized during the two-day operation," it added.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the trio had allegedly acted on the instructions of a scam syndicate.
Two of them - a 16-year-old male teenager and a 22-year-old woman - are alleged to have relinquished their bank accounts to the syndicate for monetary gains.
The third person, a 31-year-old man, is alleged to have assisted unknown individuals to subscribe to phone lines, some of which were found to be linked to the bulk orders.
Police said losses totalling at least $32,000 were suffered in five such scam cases reported since Sept 4.
The woman will be charged in court today (Sept 17) for relinquishing her bank account.
If found guilty, she faces a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both.
"Members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or mobile lines as you will be held accountable if these are linked to crimes," the police said, adding that perpetrators of scams will be sternly dealt with in accordance with the law.
Investigations are ongoing into the involvement of the man and teenager.
The first known incident came to light on Sept 9 when a biryani seller in Tiong Bahru shared on Facebook that his stall was scammed with a fake order of 150 packets of food by a person claiming to be a "SAF representative".
That incident prompted the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) to clarify that there was "no evidence that these individuals are affiliated with the SAF".
Four days later, a florist in Bukit Timah took to Instagram to share that the business was scammed with a large order on Sept 8 for 150 small bouquets and four extra large ones. The florist said that the business lost around $1,100.
Similar fake orders involving the same quantity of 150 also affected a nasi lemak shop in Novena and a bakery along Thomson Road.
On Sept 14, Mindef issued a statement saying that SAF is aware of seven such cases and urged businesses to remain vigilant, adding that they should report any suspicious activity to the police.
An earlier police advisory on July 28 also warned that scammers may pose as staff from local schools and pretend to make reservations or place bulk orders, including requesting for items beyond what the targeted business would ordinarily carry.
This scam variant has since emerged too, where an eatery near Holland Road was scammed by someone claiming to be from a secondary school.
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