SINGAPORE: Three mobile phone shops were simultaneously raided by the police as part of a crackdown on suspected SIM card registration fraud.
Two men, aged 30 and 58, were arrested for their suspected involvement in the fraudulent registration of prepaid SIM cards, the police said on Thursday (Mar 20).
Seven other men and a woman, aged between 27 and 50, are also assisting with investigations.
An assortment of mobile phones, mobile registration documents and SIM cards were seized during the operation.
The raids were conducted on Mar 5 at two shops located in Serangoon – ARS Digital World and Univercell Mobiles Technology – as well as one in Woodlands known as Icares Mobile Services.
The operation targeted errant mobile phone retailers and their employees suspected of being involved in the fraudulent registration of prepaid SIM cards, said the police.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that these persons had allegedly used information from legitimate customers to pre-register for additional prepaid SIM cards.”
The 10 people are being investigated for illegally obtaining personal information, unauthorised modification of computer material and facilitating the fraudulent registration of SIM cards that facilitate criminal activity.
The offences are respectively punishable with a fine of up to S$10,000 (US$7,500), up to three years’ jail or both.
