17-year-old girl among 5 arrested over Singpass job scam scheme

Five people aged between 17 and 29 were arrested on Wednesday (July 1) for their alleged involvement in a job scam syndicate that fraudulently obtained victims' Singpass accounts.

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, the police said they received 26 reports from victims between March and May this year.

The victims had responded to job advertisements via Carousell and were purportedly deceived into providing copies of their NRICs, changing their registered mobile numbers and e-mail addresses linked to their Singpass accounts.

This allowed the scammers to take control of the victims' accounts.

The compromised Singpass accounts were then used to apply for accounts with financial institutions or for mobile phone services without the victims' knowledge. 

Control of the victims' accounts was returned to them on the same day, police said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the five suspects had allegedly conspired with a scam syndicate based overseas to procure bank accounts in Singapore. 

They were purportedly coached to trick victims into surrendering access their Singpass accounts under the guise of a job application.

Officers from the Anti-Scam Command and Police Intelligence Department identified and arrested the suspects following investigations on July 1.

Four men aged between 22 and 29 will be charged in court on Thursday with the offence of obtaining another person's credentials under the Computer Misuse Act.

The offence carries a penalty of up to three years' jail, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Police investigations into the 17-year-old female teenager are ongoing.

Under tougher anti-scam laws that took effect on December 30, 2025, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, with a maximum of 24 strokes.

Police warned that individuals linked to scam-related activities may also face restrictions on banking services and mobile line subscriptions under the Facility Restriction Framework.

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editor@asiaone.com