Woman asked to buy S$412,000 worth of gold at Mustafa Centre, 2 M'sian men arrested

Two Malaysian men, aged 22 and 38, suspected to be money mules for a transnational scam syndicate, were arrested on Nov. 8.

This came after police uncovered their suspected involvement in separate government official impersonation scam cases in Singapore, according to a Singapore Police Force (SPF) release.

Victim asked to buy S$412,000 worth of gold

In one such case, a victim got a call from an unknown person posing as a bank representative, who told her a credit card had been applied under her name.

When the victim denied this, the call was transferred to fake officials pretending to be from the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), who informed her that she was implicated in a money laundering case.

To establish their credibility, the scammers showed her fake government staff passes and other supporting documents via WhatsApp.

They asked the victim to transfer S$1 million from one of her bank accounts to her credit card.

Subsequently, the victim was instructed to purchase gold worth S$412,000 using the said credit card at Mustafa Centre before handing them to an unknown person on the same day.

Realising something was amiss, the victim lodged a police report over the scam on Nov. 7.

Two suspected money mules arrested

Through extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command of the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the unknown person who was to collect the gold.

The 38-year-old man was arrested when he re-entered Singapore on Nov. 8.

Police also established that a 22-year-old man was involved in similar cases in Singapore, and arrested him separately on the same day.

Preliminary investigations revealed that both men had allegedly been tasked by unknown persons, believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate, to collect cash and valuables from other scam victims, the release said.

The two men will be charged in court on Nov. 10 for abetment by conspiracy to assist another to retain benefits from criminal conduct.

Police said in the release that they have observed an increasing trend of Malaysian nationals travelling to Singapore to assist scam syndicates in collecting cash, gold and valuables from scam victims.

"The police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law," the release read.

Tips to avoid getting scammed

The police also reminded members of the public of what they should do to avoid becoming the victims of scams:

• Never transfer or hand monies or valuables to unknown persons and persons whose identity you did not verify
• Never place monies or valuables at a physical location to facilitate subsequent collection
• Do not share the screens of your devices with any unknown persons

The police also reminded members of the public that Singapore government officials will never ask them over a phone call to transfer money, disclose bank log-in details, install mobile apps from unofficial app stores, or transfer their call to the police.

Those who have any information relating to such crimes, or are in doubt, can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Those you require urgent police assistance can dial ‘999’.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

Top image from Wang Fang/Google & SPF