PUBLISHED ONMay 07, 2026 2:25 PMBYSean LerA total of 225 people are being investigated by the police for their alleged involvement in scams as scammers or money mules, following a two-week operation between April 23 and May 6.
The operation involved officers from the police's Commercial Affairs Department and the seven police land divisions.
Police said in a news release on Thursday (May 7) night that the 225 people comprises 166 men and 89 women, and are aged between 16 and 75.
They are believed to be involved in more than 564 scam cases, comprising mostly e-commerce, friend impersonation, job, government official impersonation, investment and rental scams, which have resulted in losses of more than $4.8 million, the police said.
They are now being investigated for various alleged offences including cheating, money laundering, or 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 which came into effect on Dec 30, 2025.
On April 29, a 23-year-old Malaysian, Yap Ching Gun, was convicted of money laundering, having collected cash from an elderly victim of an investment scam in Singapore. He was sentenced to seven months' jail and one stroke of the cane.
He is the first money mule to be sentenced to caning since the amendments came into effect.
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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