In a two-day operation conducted between 28 February 2018 and 1 March 2018, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division rounded up 6 men and 8 women, aged between 15 and 67, for their suspected involvement in various cases of scams involving more than S$380,000.
The suspects are being investigated for the offence of Cheating, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine under the Penal Code, or Money Laundering, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to 10 years and/or a fine of up to S$500,000 under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
While the Police will continue such enforcement operations and take firm action against any party involved in scams, members of the public should take the following precautions to avoid becoming a scam victim:
- Do not share your personal information such as your identification number, bank account number, One-Time Passwords, or SMS-verification codes with anyone. Your personal information may be abused by scammers;
- Before performing a transaction, find out how the online site safeguards your interest or can help you resolve disputes;
- Be wary of people selling items for prices that sound too good to be true. Check the seller’s track record by reading reviews of their services or contact past customers.
- Buy goods only from authorised dealers. If advanced payments are required, use shopping platforms that provide arrangements to only release your payment to the seller upon your receipt of the item;
- Bear in mind that the party that you are dealing with online is a stranger. Whenever possible, pay only on delivery.
- Arrange for a physical meet-up with the seller to verify the authenticity of the tickets prior to making payment, and take note of the terms and conditions of the ticket sale.; and
- Be mindful that although scammers may provide a copy of an Identification Card or Driver’s licence to gain your trust, it may not necessarily belong to the person communicating with you online.
Persons found to have allowed their bank accounts to be used by criminals may also be investigated and prosecuted. To avoid being an accomplice to a money laundering offence, members of the public should always reject requests to use your bank accounts, as your account may be used to launder the proceeds of crime.
For scam-related advice, members of the public may call the anti-scam helpline at 1800-722-6688 or go to www.scamalert.sg.
If you’d like to contribute your story to us, drop us an email at editors@sureboh.sg and we’ll review it. We read each submission that comes to us within two weeks of receiving it.
