55 hauled up by police for scams involving over $1.8M
Thirty men and 25 women have been hauled up by the police over their suspected involvement in 77 scams and commercial crime-related cases.
Aged between 18 and 71, the suspects were brought in following a five-day operation by the Bedok Police Division between 30 July and 3 August, said the police in a news release on Sunday (5 August).
The cases include e-commerce scams, loan scams and commercial fraud, which were reported in the Pasir Ris, Tampines and Bedok estates. Police noted that the total value of transactions in the cases exceeded $1.8 million.
All suspects are currently under investigation for cheating, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine, or money laundering, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a possible fine of up to $500,000.
“To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or handphone lines as you will be held accountable if there are illegal transactions found in the accounts,” said the police.
Members of the public have been advised to take the following precautions to avoid being scammed:
Don’t share personal information such as your identity card number, bank account number, One-Time Passwords or SMS-verification codes with anyone.
Before performing an online transaction, find out how the site safeguards your interests or can help you resolve disputes.
Make purchases from authorised dealers. If advanced payments are required, use shopping platforms that release your payment to the seller only upon receipt of the item.
Be aware that even though scammers may provide their identification card or driver’s license, these documents may not necessarily belong to the person communicating with you online.
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