41 suspected money mules in Singapore to be charged over alleged involvement in various scams
Many of the suspects were promised a commission of up to $9,000 for their bank or Singpass accounts, but were never paid. - Photo: Singapore Police Force
SINGAPORE: Forty-one people are expected to be charged in the coming week for allegedly acting as money mules or allowing related activities in a variety of scams.
The 32 men and nine women, aged between 16 and 64, are suspected of being involved in scams such as government official impersonation scams, rental scams, job scams, fake friend call scams and e-commerce scams.
Between June 2 and 6, the 41 suspects are expected to be charged with various offences, such as helping another person retain the benefits from criminal conduct in certain circumstances, and abetment to cheating.
Other offences include allowing unauthorised access to computer material, and illegally disclosing passwords or access codes to Singpass, the national digital identity service.
Among the suspects, 35 are accused of having relinquished or sold their bank accounts and enabling criminal syndicates to commit money laundering.
Some allegedly tricked banks into opening personal accounts before handing over the ATM cards and iBanking credentials to unknown people.
Another group of suspects is believed to have unlawfully disclosed their Singpass credentials, enabling criminal syndicates to misuse their identities to open bank accounts.
Many of the suspects were promised a commission of up to $9,000 for their bank or Singpass accounts, but were never paid.
Those convicted of assisting another person to retain the benefits from criminal conduct or cheating can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
Anyone found guilty of facilitating unauthorised access to computer material for the first time can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.
If convicted of illegally disclosing passwords or access codes for Singpass, the suspects can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
To avoid being implicated in such crimes, the police urge the public to always reject requests by others to use their bank or Singpass accounts.
The public should also be wary of seemingly attractive money-making opportunities that promise fast and east payouts for the use of these personal accounts.
'Anyone who allows their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others will be held accountable if these transactions are linked to crimes,' the police said.
For more information on scams, the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799.
Anyone with information on scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit the information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness
Scam victims in Singapore lost $1.1 billion in 2024, marking a record high amount of losses suffered in a single year.
This is around 70 per cent higher than the $651.8 million that scammers took in 2023, according to police figures released on Feb 25.
Police also saw a record high number of scam reports in 2024, with 51,501 cases recorded, compared with 46,563 cases in the previous year.
A total of 230 money mules were charged between August 2024 and March 2025, under tougher sentencing guidelines introduced on Aug 21, 2024.
All adult offenders charged during this period were handed jail terms of at least six months, while those aged below 21 were sent for reformative training, said the police. - The Straits Times/ANN
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
41 suspected money mules in Singapore to be charged over alleged involvement in various scams
Many of the suspects were promised a commission of up to $9,000 for their bank or Singpass accounts, but were never paid. - Photo: Singapore Police Force SINGAPORE: Forty-one people are expected to be charged in the coming week for allegedly acting as money mules or allowing related activities in a variety of scams. The 32 men and nine women, aged between 16 and 64, are suspected of being involved in scams such as government official impersonation scams, rental scams, job scams, fake friend call scams and e-commerce scams. Between June 2 and 6, the 41 suspects are expected to be charged with various offences, such as helping another person retain the benefits from criminal conduct in certain circumstances, and abetment to cheating. Other offences include allowing unauthorised access to computer material, and illegally disclosing passwords or access codes to Singpass, the national digital identity service. Among the suspects, 35 are accused of having relinquished or sold their bank accounts and enabling criminal syndicates to commit money laundering. Some allegedly tricked banks into opening personal accounts before handing over the ATM cards and iBanking credentials to unknown people. Another group of suspects is believed to have unlawfully disclosed their Singpass credentials, enabling criminal syndicates to misuse their identities to open bank accounts. Many of the suspects were promised a commission of up to $9,000 for their bank or Singpass accounts, but were never paid. Those convicted of assisting another person to retain the benefits from criminal conduct or cheating can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. Anyone found guilty of facilitating unauthorised access to computer material for the first time can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both. If convicted of illegally disclosing passwords or access codes for Singpass, the suspects can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. To avoid being implicated in such crimes, the police urge the public to always reject requests by others to use their bank or Singpass accounts. The public should also be wary of seemingly attractive money-making opportunities that promise fast and east payouts for the use of these personal accounts. 'Anyone who allows their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others will be held accountable if these transactions are linked to crimes,' the police said. For more information on scams, the public can visit or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799. Anyone with information on scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit the information online at Scam victims in Singapore lost $1.1 billion in 2024, marking a record high amount of losses suffered in a single year. This is around 70 per cent higher than the $651.8 million that scammers took in 2023, according to police figures released on Feb 25. Police also saw a record high number of scam reports in 2024, with 51,501 cases recorded, compared with 46,563 cases in the previous year. A total of 230 money mules were charged between August 2024 and March 2025, under tougher sentencing guidelines introduced on Aug 21, 2024. All adult offenders charged during this period were handed jail terms of at least six months, while those aged below 21 were sent for reformative training, said the police. - The Straits Times/ANN
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Malay Mail
From teens to seniors, 41 face money mule charges in Singapore
SINGAPORE, June 1 — A total of 41 people, including a teenager, are expected to be charged this week for their alleged roles as money mules or for facilitating scam-related activities, amid rising concern over online fraud in the country. According to The Straits Times, the suspects — 32 men and nine women aged between 16 and 64 — are believed to have been involved in a range of scams, including government official impersonation scams, job scams, rental scams, e-commerce scams, and fake friend call scams. Between June 2 and 6, they are expected to be charged with offences such as assisting others to retain benefits from criminal conduct, abetment to cheating, allowing unauthorised access to computer material, and illegally disclosing passwords or access codes to Singpass, Singapore's national digital identity system. According to police, 35 of the suspects are accused of selling or handing over their personal bank accounts to criminal syndicates, enabling money laundering activities. Some had allegedly deceived banks into opening accounts, only to pass on the ATM cards and internet banking credentials to unknown parties. Others are believed to have unlawfully disclosed their Singpass credentials, which allowed scammers to misuse their identities to open bank accounts. 'Anyone who allows their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others will be held accountable if these transactions are linked to crimes,' the police said. In several cases, suspects were promised commissions of up to S$9,000 (RM30,000) for their bank or Singpass accounts but ultimately received no payment. Under Singapore law, those convicted of helping another person retain criminal proceeds or abet cheating can face up to three years' jail, a fine, or both. Meanwhile, facilitating unauthorised access to computer material carries a sentence of up to two years' jail, a fine, or both. Offenders who illegally disclose Singpass credentials can also be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. The Straits Times reported that Singapore saw a record S$1.1 billion lost to scams in 2024 — about 70 per cent more than the S$651.8 million lost in 2023. Police also recorded 51,501 scam reports in 2024, up from 46,563 the year before. In response to the surge, 230 money mules were charged between August 2024 and March 2025 under stiffer sentencing guidelines introduced on August 21, 2024. All adult offenders received jail terms of at least six months, while offenders below 21 were sent for reformative training.
The Star
6 days ago
- The Star
Singapore police arrest 9, seize S$1.9mil in anti-scam operation
Nine people – seven men and two women between the ages of 18 and 33 – were arrested. - SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE SINGAPORE: About S$1.9 million in suspected scam proceeds were seized by the police's Anti-Scam Command (ASC) in a near month-long joint operation targeting government official impersonation, investment and job scams. In a media statement on May 29, the police said that 400 bank accounts were also frozen in the operation, which took place from April 15 to May 13 and involved officers from ASC working with the police land divisions' Scam Strike teams and participating local banks. Island-wide raids were conducted to locate those suspected of handing their bank accounts over to scammers for use in money laundering activities. Nine people – seven men and two women between the ages of 18 and 33 – were arrested, and another 33 people are being investigated. The 42 people are believed to be involved in more than 200 cases of scams. The police also disrupted over 900 online enablers and terminate more than 806 phone lines used in the scams. Police investigations are ongoing. Those convicted of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct in certain circumstances may be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $50,000, or both. For the offence of unauthorised access to computer material, convicted individuals may be jailed up to two years, fined $5,000, or both. The police advised members of the public to always reject requests by others to use their SingPass credentials, bank accounts or mobile lines to avoid being held accountable for their misuse. For more information on scams, visit or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799. - The Straits Times/ANN
