41 people to be charged over money mule activities
Forty-one people have been arrested for allegedly being money mules in various scams, the police said on Feb 14.
Aged between 16 and 56, they are being investigated for their alleged involvement in various scams, including those where criminals pose as online lovers or government officials, siphon funds using malware, or dupe their victims through home rental listings.
Police said 31 of the suspects had allegedly sold or rented their bank accounts to criminal syndicates or aided these criminals by carrying out bank transfers and withdrawals.
Some of them are believed to have cheated the banks into opening bank accounts for them before handing over their ATM cards and Internet banking details to the syndicates, police added.
The remaining 10 suspects allegedly sold their Singpass credentials to scammers so that they could open new bank accounts.
They will be charged on Feb 15 over various offences connected to money mule activities.
If found guilty cheating, they can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
Those convicted of assisting others to retain benefits from criminal conduct can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.
For first-time offenders, the crime of facilitating unauthorised access to computer materials is punishable with a fine, a jail term of up to two years, or both.
Similarly, first-time offenders who are found to have provided unauthorised disclosure of access codes can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
Meanwhile, the offence of carrying on an unlicensed business of providing payment services is punishable with a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to $125,000, or both.
Police warned the public against getting involved in scams and fraud, and warned that those found to have done so would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
To find out more about scams, the public can visit scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.
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