PUBLISHED ONMay 09, 2026 5:17 AMBYSean LerFollowing a three-week long islandwide enforcement operation which ended on Friday (May 8), the police have arrested seven people and are investigating 65 others for their alleged involvement in registering SIM cards for illicit purposes.
The police said in a news release on Saturday that the operation, which began on April 20, involved officers from its Anti-Scam Command and its seven land divisions.
The operation targeted errant subscribers who registered postpaid SIM cards that were subsequently linked to criminal activities.
A total of five men and two women, aged between 18 and 35, were arrested for their suspected involvement in providing registered postpaid SIM cards for monetary gains.
Another 62 men and three women, aged between 16 and 56, are also being investigated, said the police.
Preliminary investigations revealed that these errant subscribers were offered cash rewards of between $10 and $20 per registered SIM card.
These subscribers were purportedly instructed to register and buy SIM cards in bulk from different retailers, and handed over between 30 and 64 registered SIM cards to be 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 of 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 Infocomm Media Development Authority's web form.
The police also urged members of the public to call its 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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