A 44-year-old Malaysian man is expected to be charged in court on Mar 6 for his suspected role in a government official impersonation scam in Singapore.
According to a statement from the police on March 5, the man is among more than 50 Malaysians who have already been arrested and charged since May 2025 for assisting scam syndicates in collecting cash and valuables from victims. The police also said that nine of these arrests were made in 2026.
How the Scam Happened
The case started after the police received a report on Mar 4 from a victim who was contacted by a person claiming to be from Harvey Norman. The caller told the victim that an electrical appliance worth more than S$10,000 had been purchased under his name.
When the victim said he did not make such a purchase, the caller advised him to check his bank account for any unauthorised transactions. The caller then provided the victim with a contact number and instructed him to reach out to the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
After that, the victim received another call. This time, the caller claimed to be an officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and told the victim that he was involved in a criminal case.
The scammer later instructed the victim to hand over his jewellery to an “undercover agent” as part of an investigation. Following these instructions, the victim handed over jewellery worth more than S$28,000 to the Malaysian man at Telok Blangah Rise.
Arrest and Investigations
The police managed to identify the suspect through follow-up investigations. He was later arrested in Bishan.
Preliminary investigations found that the man had allegedly been instructed by unknown individuals believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate. His role was to collect valuables or cash from victims and then pass them to other unknown persons.
The man is expected to be charged with the offence of assisting another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
If convicted, he may face a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
Police Warning on Scam Activities
In the statement, the police said they have noticed more Malaysian nationals travelling to Singapore to help scam syndicates collect money and valuables from victims.
They also stated that scammers, as well as members or recruiters of scam syndicates, face mandatory caning of between six and 24 strokes if convicted. Those who help scammers by laundering scam proceeds may also face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes.
People involved in mule-related offences may also face restrictions on banking services and mobile line subscriptions to stop further scam activities.
Advice to the Public
The police advised the public not to transfer cash or valuables to unknown persons. They also said people should not leave money or valuables at any location for someone else to collect.
They added that individuals should never share the screens of their devices or provide login credentials to unknown persons.
The police also reminded the public that Singapore Government officials will never ask people to transfer money over the phone, request banking login details, tell people to install mobile applications from unofficial app stores, or transfer calls to the police.
Those who have information about such crimes or have doubts can contact the police hotline at 1800-255-000 or submit information online through the I-Witness portal.
They may also visit the ScamShield website or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 for more information about scams. The police added that all information shared will be kept strictly confidential.
