Malaysian man, 33, to be charged for alleged impersonation of MAS official
The police arrested a 33-year-old Malaysian man on Nov 4 for his suspected involvement in a government official impersonation scam.
PHOTO: Singapore Police Force
PUBLISHED ONNovember 06, 2025 3:29 AMBYEsther LamA Malaysian man will be charged in court on Thursday (Nov 6) for his suspected involvement in a government official impersonation scam (GOIS).
In a press release on Nov 5, the police said they received a report on Nov 4 involving the impersonation of a government official purportedly from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
The 33-year-old man was identified through follow-up investigations and subsequently arrested by the police.
The victim who filed the report was allegedly told he was being investigated for money laundering and instructed to withdraw $15,000 from his bank accounts and hand it over to an unknown person for the purposes of investigation.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 33-year-old man is believed to be involved in other similar cases, allegedly being tasked by unknown persons to collect cash and valuables from victims of GOIS, before handing them to said unknown persons.
Remanded by Anti-Scam Command
The man will be charged in court with the offence of abetment by conspiracy to assist another to retain benefits from criminal conduct, according to the police.
If convicted, he may face a jail term of up to 10 years, or a fine not exceeding $500,000, or both. He will also be remanded for further investigations by the Anti-Scam Command.
The police would like to remind members of the public never to transfer or hand over money or valuables to unknown individuals, or to anyone whose identity has not been verified.
Members of the public should also avoid placing money or valuables at any physical location to facilitate subsequent collection and to not share your device screens with unknown persons under any circumstances.
Scammers, syndicate members face mandatory caning
Parliament passed amendments to Singapore's criminal law on Tuesday (Nov 4), one that will see scammers subjected to mandatory caning.
Under the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, scammers and those who recruit or participate in scam syndicates face between six and 24 strokes of the cane.
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