PUBLISHED ONAugust 24, 2026 6:40 AMBYSean LerFollowing a two-and-a-half-week long islandwide enforcement operation which ended on Aug 21, the police have arrested 20 people and are investigating 42 others for their alleged involvement in registering SIM cards for illicit purposes.
Police said on Monday (Aug 24) that the operation, which began on Aug 4, involved officers from the Cyber Command and seven land divisions.
The operation targeted errant subscribers who registered postpaid SIM cards that were subsequently linked to criminal activities.
Among the 15 men and five women arrested, the youngest is aged 16, while the oldest is 33.
They are believed to have allegedly provided registered postpaid SIM cards for cash rewards of between $10 and $20 per registered SIM card.
According to the police, they were purportedly instructed to register and purchase SIM cards in bulk from different retailers, and handed over between 10 and 33 registered SIM cards to the syndicate’s courier.
Locally registered SIM cards are exploited by criminal syndicates as a channel of communication for scams, unlicensed moneylending and vice, among other illicit activities, said the police.
Those convicted of knowingly providing a registered SIM card to another person to facilitate a crime for any gain will face a maximum fine of $10,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the police have also implemented stricter measures on postpaid SIM cards to prevent illicit use.
As at Feb 28, an individual can only register up to 10 postpaid SIM cards across all telcos in Singapore.
Those who wish to check if there are any any postpaid SIM card registrations to their name may use the IMDA web form.
The police also urged members of the public to call their hotline at 1800-255-0000 or make a report at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in the registration of SIM cards for illicit purposes.
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