PUBLISHED ONMarch 11, 2026 1:35 PMBYSean LerA 40-year-old man has become the third Malaysian to be arrested in Singapore, within seven days, for his alleged involvement in a case of government official impersonation scam.
Like the preceding cases, he is believed to have facilitated scam syndicates by collecting cash and valuables, the police said in a news release on Wednesday (March 11).
More than 50 Malaysians have been arrested for being scam mules in Singapore since May last year.
Police said they received a report from a victim on March 10 who was contacted by an unknown person claiming to be from telco M1.
The person claimed that the victim had purchased a new iPhone 17 Pro Max worth $8,000 and that a monthly payment of $350 would be charged to her account.
When she denied having an M1 account or making any purchase, the victim was given a number to contact to cancel the subscription.
After doing so, the victim received a photo of an M1 contract with her particulars. She was also told that her cancellation would be processed.
However, the victim received a video call from a person claiming to be an officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, who alleged that she was involved in money-laundering activities and required her cooperation in an investigation.
She was then asked to pack all her valuables into a bag and hand them over to an unknown person at her void deck. A secret code was even given to her for verification with the unknown person.
Feeling suspicious, the victim instead made a 999 call and reported the matter.
Preliminary investigations found that the man had allegedly been tasked by unknown persons, believed to be part of a transnational crime syndicate, to collect cash from scam victims and hand over the cash to other unknown persons.
The man was arrested by officers from the Anti-Scam Command when he tried to collect the valuables from the victim.
Cash of $5,000 belonging to another scam victim was found in his possession when he was arrested.
The man will be charged on Thursday for assisting another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
If found guilty, he may be sentenced to up to 10 years' jail, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.
Police said they have observed an "increasing trend" of Malaysian nationals travelling to Singapore to assist scam syndicates in collecting cash and valuables from victims.
Scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, up to a maximum of 24 strokes of the cane.
Scam mules who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds will face discretionary caning of up to 24 strokes.
Those involved in mule-related offences may face restrictions on banking services and mobile line subscriptions to prevent further facilitation of scams.
Those who have information about such crimes or have doubts may call the police hotline on 1800-255-000. They may also submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness
They may visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799 for more information on scams.
All information will be kept strictly confidential.
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