16 Malaysians arrested in scam syndicate that defrauded over S$1.4 million from Singaporeans

SINGAPORE: In a coordinated effort between the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), 16 Malaysians have been arrested in Kuala Lumpur for their involvement in a transnational scam syndicate that defrauded victims of over S$1.4 million.

The arrest, which occurred on 13 January, marks a significant breakthrough in the fight against impersonation scams targeting people in Singapore.

The suspects, aged between 24 and 43, were detained following a raid on an office complex.

The Malaysian authorities confirmed that the scammers were part of a wider operation that impersonated government officials in order to deceive victims into making substantial financial transfers.

The fraudulent scheme involved the perpetrators masquerading as bank representatives, typically claiming to be from major financial institutions such as DBS, OCBC, UOB, or Standard Chartered Bank.

The scam callers would inform their targets that a credit card had been issued in their names or that suspicious transactions had been detected in their accounts.

This would set the stage for the next phase of the scam, where the victims were transferred to another individual pretending to be a government official from agencies such as the Singapore Police Force or the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

In some instances, the fraudsters would engage their victims over video calls, appearing in front of a backdrop featuring the agency’s logo and dressed as official personnel.

These elaborate tactics were designed to create a sense of urgency and legitimacy.

The scammers would then accuse the victims of being involved in criminal activities, such as money laundering, and convince them that they needed to transfer funds to specific bank accounts for “investigation purposes.”

The use of messaging platforms like WhatsApp allowed the criminals to continue their ruse, with some even producing fake warrant cards and other fraudulent documents to reinforce their deceptive claims.

The victims, believing they were cooperating with law enforcement, were duped into transferring large sums of money to the scam syndicate’s designated accounts.

Between January and October 2024, at least 1,100 similar scams were reported, resulting in total losses of over S$120 million.

Authorities have linked the Malaysian syndicate to more than 50 of these cases.

Following their arrests, the 16 individuals have been charged with criminal conspiracy to commit cheating in a Malaysian court.

David Chew, Director of the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force, commended the successful operation and thanked the Malaysian police for their assistance.

He stressed that both law enforcement agencies would continue to work together to target and dismantle such transnational syndicates, which have been preying on Singaporean victims.

The arrest comes amid a rise in scam-related losses in Singapore.

In the first half of 2024 alone, more than S$385.6 million was lost in 26,587 reported scam cases, a record high.

Although the figures for the second half of 2024 have not yet been released, the data highlights the growing threat of scams and the urgent need for continued vigilance.