49 under probe for suspected money laundering involving crypto accounts, over $200k seized
SINGAPORE – The police are investigating 49 people for suspected money laundering activities involving the use of cryptocurrency accounts.
The suspects – 35 men and 14 women – are aged between 18 and 58 , the police said on June 12 .
They were nabbed during an islandwide operation carried out between May 13 and 30 by officers from the police's Anti-Scam Command , who worked alongside digital payments firm StraitsX . More than $200,000 was seized as a result.
Early investigations showed that the suspects allegedly opened and gave up their cryptocurrency accounts or Singpass credentials in exchange for cash, which ranged from $400 to $3,000.
Making use of messaging platforms such as Telegram or WhatsApp , unknown parties had made contact with the suspects, guiding them through the process.
Part of the instructions they received included providing screenshots, personal details, as well as access to their cryptocurrency or Singpass accounts, which were then used to facilitate the laundering of scam proceeds.
The police said the collaboration with StraitsX had 'enhanced capabilities to detect suspicious financial activities', which led to the suspects being identified.
They also stressed that they take a strong stance against people who may be involved in money laundering activities, and will not hesitate to take action.
In order to avoid being implicated in such crimes, the police advised people to always reject requests by others to make use of their bank or cryptocurrency accounts.
Caution should also be exercised if 'seemingly attractive money-making opportunities promising fast and easy pay-outs for the use of their bank or cryptocurrency accounts' are presented.
'Anyone who allows their personal bank accounts or cryptocurrency accounts to be used to receive and transfer money or cryptocurrency for others will be held accountable if these transactions are linked to crimes,' said the police.
Those convicted of assisting another person to retain the benefits from criminal conduct can be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to three years, or both .
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
War crimes likely committed in Syria's coastal massacres, UN commission says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes and government forces, in Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo GENEVA - War crimes were likely committed by interim government forces as well as by fighters loyal to Syria's former rulers during sectarian violence that culminated in a series of massacres in March, U.N. investigators said on Thursday. Some 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were reported killed during the violence in coastal areas that primarily targeted Alawites, and reports of violations such as abductions continue, according to a report by the U.N. Syria Commission of Inquiry. "The scale and brutality of the violence documented in our report is deeply disturbing," said Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, in a statement released with the report. Murder, torture and inhumane acts related to the treatment of the dead were documented by the U.N. team, which based its 56-page report on more than 200 interviews with victims and witnesses as well as visits to three mass grave sites. Most victims were Alawite men aged between 20-50 but women, and children as young as one, were also killed, the report said. Sometimes the killers, who went door to door looking for members of Assad's minority Alawite sect, filmed the executions themselves, it said. Perpetrators were members of the interim government forces as well as private individuals operating or in proximity to them. Fighters loyal to the ousted Assad government also committed violations, it said. The report is not all-encompassing since incidents in Homs, Latakia and Tartus are still being investigated by the commission, set up by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2011. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Bukit Merah fire: Residents relocated as town council carries out restoration works Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore askST: What are the fire safety rules for PMDs? Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at wrong airport in South Korea Opinion Could telco consolidation spell the end of attractive mobile plans? Singapore Change in law proposed to pave the way for public-private sector data sharing Singapore From quiet introvert to self-confident student: How this vulnerable, shy teen gets help to develop and discover her strength The incidents along the coast were the worst violence to hit Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last year, prompting the interim government to appoint a fact-finding committee. "The Syrian Arab Republic values these efforts and reaffirms its commitment to incorporating the recommendations into the ongoing process of institution-building and the consolidation of the rule of law in the new Syria," Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani said in a letter responding to the report, which it said aligned with its own findings. There was no immediate public comment from former Syrian officials, many of whom have left the country. U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack welcomed the report and said it was a "serious step" towards assessing responsibility for violations. The administration of President Donald Trump is gradually lifting Syria sanctions dating back to Assad's rule. A Reuters investigation last month found nearly 1,500 Syrian Alawites had been killed and identified a chain of command from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders. New Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has previously denounced the violence as a threat to his mission to unite the country and promised to punish those responsible. The commission acknowledged in its report the commitment of Syria's interim authorities to identify those responsible but said the scale of the violence warranted further steps. "Guarantees of non-repetition of the violations should be at the heart of Syria's transition," the report said. REUTERS
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Attack on my son is ‘a warning' to silence me, says Malaysian MP Rafizi Ramli
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Former Malaysian Cabinet minister Rafizi Ramli (centre) said the attack was 'a warning to me not to speak out on certain issues'. KUALA LUMPUR – The wife of former Malaysian Cabinet minister Rafizi Ramli received two chilling messages just hours after a shocking attack on their son on Aug 13 in broad daylight. One of the WhatsApp messages read: 'Diam! Andai teruskan, Aids! (Shut up! If you continue, Aids!)' It was followed by three syringe emojis. The MP from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), which leads Malaysia's governing coalition, said the attack on his family was 'a warning to me not to speak out on certain issues'. 'While I will take steps to enhance security measures, I will not bow to any threats and will continue to carry out my duties as usual,' Datuk Seri Rafizi, 47, said at a press conference on Aug 14 at the Parliament lobby, surrounded by several PKR lawmakers. He has been using a weekly podcast and social media postings to lash out about corruption and governance issues in the last few weeks, after resigning as economy minister in May . The brazen attack on his 12-year-old son, carried out at about 1.45pm at a mall carpark in Putrajaya equipped with CCTV cameras, sent Malaysia reeling. This is because politically linked physical attacks are rare, despite the rough-and-tumble nature of domestic politics – and it is even more alarming this time as it involves a child. 'Blood in politics has been here for quite some time,' Professor Kartini Aboo Talib, a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, told The Straits Times. 'However, violent attacks targeting young children... this is the first time ever.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Bukit Merah fire: Residents relocated as town council carries out restoration works Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore askST: What are the fire safety rules for PMDs? Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at wrong airport in South Korea Opinion Could telco consolidation spell the end of attractive mobile plans? Singapore Change in law proposed to pave the way for public-private sector data sharing Singapore From quiet introvert to self-confident student: How this vulnerable, shy teen gets help to develop and discover her strength She was referring to the murder of a political rival in the 1980s by former Cabinet minister Mokhtar Hashim, the gruesome death of politician Mazlan Idris at the hands of bomoh Mona Fandey in 1993, and the unresolved killing in 2004 of Sabah lawmaker Norjan Khan Bahadar. Malaysians are already up in arms over the tragic death of a 13-year-old Sabah student on July 17, which has sparked national outrage and street protests. The authorities, who have been accused on social media of a cover-up, have been grappling with resolving the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, a victim of suspected bullying in school. In the attack on Mr Rafizi's son, the boy and his mother were getting into their car to leave the shopping centre when the child was grabbed by an unknown assailant and jabbed with a syringe. CCTV footage showed that two men on a motorcycle had been trailing his wife's car. The duo was dressed entirely in black and wore full-face helmets. 'They had waited earlier and rushed to attack my son at the right moment,' Mr Rafizi said in a statement on Aug 13. His son was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, while police arrived at the scene shortly after the incident. The boy's condition is stable and doctors are trying to ascertain the contents of the syringe, he said at the press conference. 'It could be poison, drugs or viruses such as HIV, or just water. The process to find out what was injected into my son will take a few months but the first 24 hours is critical,' he noted. 'He will need to do blood tests for the next six months until we can rule out that he is safe. Currently he is under observation and he is not showing any symptoms. As a father, I think we can rule out poison,' he added, saying his son is in good spirits. Mr Rafizi, through his social media platforms, has alleged that several well-known figures were involved in possible graft and urged the government to carry out investigations. Well known for his tough stance against corruption during his two decades as an opposition politician, Mr Rafizi had largely kept quiet on corruption and governance issues in the past two years as he was a member of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. But he began to speak out openly again after resigning from his Cabinet post, shortly after losing PKR's deputy presidency in its triennial election held on May 23. Mr Rafizi told the Aug 14 news conference that the attack on his only child occurred a few days after he met a group of whistleblowers over a scandal, which he declined to detail. 'This is a message telling me to back off. Last week, there was a group of whistleblowers who came to see me about a scandal. The culprit behind this attack knows that once I find a scandal, I will dig and dig and dig,' he said. Datuk Seri Anwar on Aug 14 condemned the syringe attack as a 'worrying and harmful' trend in the country, and said a thorough and transparent investigation would be carried out. 'I would like to express my sadness as we're seeing an extreme and harmful culture. We are seeing issues of bullying, and now the child of a Member of Parliament has been targeted.' The opposition is also standing with Mr Rafizi. Opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional's chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said in a statement on Aug 13 that what happened was a criminal act completely unacceptable in a civilised country. 'If it is true that the attack is a warning to stop Mr Rafizi from speaking out on certain matters, then this incident signals thuggish political behaviour that is a threat to the country's democracy. 'Political differences should never be translated to threats and physical violence, especially when it involves children,' he said. Singapore Institute of International Affairs Senior Fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun said: 'The real question is perhaps which particular parties are sending out such a warning, as Mr Rafizi has revealed many scandals in his political career, perhaps inadvertently stepping on many toes.'
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump ally Erik Prince plans to keep forces in Haiti for 10 years to fight gangs and collect taxes
August 14 - The prominent Donald Trump supporter and private security executive Erik Prince says he plans to keep his forces in Haiti for 10 years under an arrangement that will eventually give his firm a role in the country's tax-collection system. In an interview with Reuters, Prince said his company, Vectus Global, had reached a 10-year agreement with the Haitian government to fight the country's criminal gangs and set up a tax collection system. After the security situation is stabilized, the firm would be involved in designing and implementing a program to tax goods imported across Haiti's border with the Dominican Republic, he said. He said he expected to wrestle control of major roads and territories from the gangs in about a year. 'One key measure of success for me will be when you can drive from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitian in a thin-skinned vehicle and not be stopped by gangs,' Prince said in the interview. Prince would not comment about how much the Haitian government would pay Vectus Global, nor how much tax he expects to collect in Haiti. The new president of the transitional council, Laurent Saint-Cyr, who was inaugurated on August 7 as part of a planned rotation of council leaders, did not respond to requests for comment. Haiti's former council president and prime minister also did not respond to requests for comment. Vectus began operating in Haiti in March, deploying mainly drones in coordination with a task force led by the prime minister, but the long-term engagement and the involvement in tax collection have not been previously reported. A person familiar with the company's operations in Haiti told Reuters that Vectus would intensify its fight against the criminal gangs that control large swathes of Haiti in the coming weeks, deploying several hundred fighters from the United States, Europe and El Salvador who are trained as snipers and specialists in intelligence and communications, as well as helicopters and boats. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home? Singapore 4 housebreaking suspects taken to Bukit Timah crime scene under police escort Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at the wrong airport in South Korea Singapore Reformative training for teen who cheated man of $47k Rolex watch on former stepdad's instructions Opinion Could telco consolidation spell the end of attractive mobile plans? Asia Strong India-Singapore ties key to economic growth amid 'volatile landscape': DPM Gan Singapore From quiet introvert to self-confident student: How this vulnerable, shy teen gets help to develop and discover her strength Prince, a former U.S. Navy Seal, founded the Blackwater military security firm in 1997. He sold the company in 2010 after Blackwater employees were convicted of unlawfully killing 14 unarmed civilians while escorting a U.S. embassy convoy in Baghdad's Nisour Square. The men were pardoned by Trump during his first term in the White House. EXPANDING ROLE Since Trump's return to the White House, Prince has advised Ecuador on how to fight criminal gangs and struck a deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo to help secure and tax its mineral wealth. 'It's hard to imagine them operating without the consent of the Trump administration,' said Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, head of the Haiti program at Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. When asked for comment about Le Cour Grandmaison's assertion, a State Department spokesperson said it has not hired Prince or his company for any work in Haiti. A senior White House official said: "The U.S. government has no involvement with the private military contractor hired by the Haitian government. We are not funding this contract or exercising any oversight.' It's unclear whether Prince's contract would be affected by the change of leadership in Haiti earlier this month. In an August 7 televised address, Saint-Cyr said he welcomed more international support to fight the gangs. 'I am inviting all the international partners to increase their support, send more soldiers, provide more training," he said. "Help us with a more robust international force.' The crisis in Haiti has worsened in recent years, as armed gangs gained territory and attacked hospitals, police stations and prisons, taking control of strategic transport routes and extorting funds from the population. Rights groups accuse the gangs of massacres, rapes, kidnappings and arson. About half the population is food-insecure and over 8,000 people in displacement camps face famine-level hunger. Haiti used to collect half of its tax revenue at the border with the Dominican Republic, but gang control of key transport routes has crippled trade and cut off state income, a report commissioned last year by Haiti's government and several multilateral organizations found. This has undermined the government's ability to respond to the crisis or deliver basic services, the report said. The Dominican Republic is a key source of grains, flour, milk, water and other food staples for Haiti, according to customs data. Haiti also relies on imports from the Dominican Republic for textiles, consumer goods, and medical supplies. Security contractors working in Haiti have faced challenges operating in a country with entrenched links between the gangs, local police and some factions of the government. Earlier this year, a team from American security firm Studebaker Defense abandoned their mission in Haiti after two of their members were abducted, likely due to corrupt police officials, the New York Times reported. Mounir Mahmalat, who serves as a country coordinator of the World Bank's Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group, said that it was virtually impossible to ensure the safe transport of goods or the security of people working in Port-au-Prince. Other security firms working in Haiti have raised questions about how Vectus would hold onto cleared gang territory as well as the wisdom of channelling resources to private security firms instead of the country's own security forces. "Resorting to private military companies cannot be seen as a solution to insecurity in Haiti,' said Gedeon Jean, head of Haiti's Center for Human Rights Analysis and Research. 'The use of private companies has often resulted in human rights violations.' While a private force could help police restore security, Jean warned against large spending on a foreign company while Haiti's own security forces lack funds and equipment. REUTERS
