SINGAPORE — Five Malaysians aged between 23 and 28 have been arrested in Kuala Lumpur as part of a joint Singapore and Malaysian police operation to tackle the laundering of the criminal proceeds of scams targeting Singaporeans.
In a press release on Wednesday (March 27), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that more than 3,000 victims had fallen prey to job scams between Oct 1, 2023 and Jan 31, 2024, with total losses of at least S$45.7 million.
“Pursuant to these reports, the SPF carried out extensive investigative probes and shared information with the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) in order to detect and dismantle job scam crime syndicates targeting Singaporeans,” said SPF.
A joint operation between SPF’s Commercial Affairs Department and RMP’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) took place in Kuala Lumpur on March 20.
Three male and two female were arrested when the CCID raided an apartment complex. They are suspected of laundering the proceeds of job and other scams targeting Singaporeans.
The five Malaysians have been remanded by CCID for further investigation.
Initial investigations found that the syndicate started their scam operations earlier this year,
The syndicate is believed to be involved in at least 40 police reports in Singapore, with total losses of more than S$820,000, the statement said.
The SPF’s Commercial Affairs Department director David Chew said that job scams were the top scam type in terms of number of cases reported in 2023, and the second highest scam type in terms of losses to victims.
“Job scams continue to rise in 2024 and is a crime of serious concern. To counter this transnational scam threat, the SPF works closely with the RMP to detect and deter these transnational syndicates who target our citizens,” he said.
“I would like to thank director CCID, Commissioner Dato‘ Sri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf and his officers for their strong support and commitment in tackling transnational crime syndicates who prey on our citizens.
“We will continue to take tough action to afford these criminals no safe haven. Working with our foreign counterparts, we will detect, disable and bring to justice criminal syndicates wherever they choose to operate”.
In their release on Wednesday, the police reminded the public to be wary of proposals by scammers on dating apps or communication and social media platforms.
Such proposals may offer easy commission to perform tasks such as boosting products on e-commerce platforms, completing surveys, or generating traction on social media contents, the police said.
To prevent being a victim of scams, the police advise the public to adopt the following precautionary measures:
- Add the Scamshield app and set security features such as transaction limits for internet banking and enabling two-factor authentication for banks and e-wallets
- Check for signs of a scam with official sources and verify if the request is legitimate by checking with your family and friends through alternative means such as physical meet-ups, video calls or email other than using the new contact details on your phone
- Tell the authorities, family and friends about scams and beware of unusual requests from someone purporting to be someone you know through texts or phone calls. Report the number to initiate in-app blocking
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