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The Singapore police have arrested 13 individuals for their suspected involvement in the recent OCBC bank phishing scams, CNA reported.

The police said on Feb. 20 that the group consists of nine men and four women, aged between 19 and 22.

They were arrested on Feb. 16 and 17 by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Out of the 13, seven have been charged with assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct. They are currently in remand for further investigations.

Those found guilty of the offence are liable to a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.

The other six suspects are also being investigated.

The identities of the individuals were established through "thorough investigations and extensive probes," the police added.

Mobile devices, bank cards, SIM cards, two Rolex watches, as well S$2,760 in cash were seized. They amounted to a total worth of S$35,600.

Background

Some S$13.7 million from 790 OCBC bank customers were lost to the scammers.

Following criticism of its underwhelming response, the bank said it would make "full goodwill payouts" to all victims of the phishing scam.

Top photo via Peifeng Qiu/Google Maps