Five nabbed in anti-scam operation by police, DBS bank; $680k seized
Five people suspected of being money mules were arrested in an islandwide anti-scam operation by the police in November, during which $680,000 was also seized.
The five were aged between 16 and 43 years old. Another 47 people, including at least one teenager and persons aged over 60, are under investigation by the police.
The individuals had allegedly acted as money mules by passing their personal bank accounts to scammers or allowing them to open bank accounts using their Singpass IDs.
The bank accounts were allegedly used to receive and transfer proceeds from scams.
The operation from Nov 1 to 7 was conducted by officers from the police’s Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) acting on tip-offs from DBS Bank’s AntiMule team.
The team was established in 2023 as part of the bank’s efforts to counter scams and money laundering.
The police are also investigating offences of facilitating unauthorised access to computer materials, as well as cheating.
If found guilty of facilitating unauthorised access to computer material, a person can be jailed up to two years, receive a fine or both.
A person found guilty of unauthorised disclosure of access codes for any wrongful gain or unlawful purpose can be jailed up to three years, receive a fine or both, while those found guilty of cheating can be jailed up to three years and fined.
The police said people should always reject requests for their personal bank accounts to be used or to give their Singpass details to others.
For more information on scams, the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 1800-722-6688. They may also call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.
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