The police are investigating 344 people for allegedly being involved in scamming activities or money laundering as well as cheating victims of more than S$9.84 million.
229 men and 115 women, aged between 16 to 77, were rounded up in an operation from 16 January to 29 January, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Sunday (31 Jan).
The suspects have supposedly cheated victims in 607 scam cases, which include Internet love scams, fraudulent e-commerce deals, fake gambling platform platforms, and loan scams. There were also cases where Chinese officials were impersonated.
The cases were discovered based on police reports lodged by the victims, said a police spokesman.
The police’s Anti-Scam Centre has been working together with banks to retrieve bank records and analyse the transactions. Enforcement operations are then carried out to locate the suspects.
The suspects in custody from the latest police operation are being investigated for cheating, money laundering, or providing payment services without a license.
Those who are found guilty of cheating can be fined and jailed for up to 10 years, while those found guilty of money laundering can be jailed up to 10 years, and fined up to S$500,000.
Those who are found guilty of carrying on a business issuing payment services without a license, they may face a fine of up to S$125,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.
The police have advised members of the public to avoid being an accomplice to crimes by always rejecting requests by others to use their bank accounts or mobile lines, adding that they will be held accountable if these accounts are connected to illegal transactions.
