Police investigating 78 people for allegedly giving away Singpass credentials to scammers
Some sold their credentials for as much as S$10,000 each, while others provided access without knowing identity of the other party
SINGAPORE — Police are investigating 78 people, aged between 17 and 63, for allegedly giving their Singpass credentials to scammers. Ten of them have since been arrested.
In a media statement published on Thursday (18 April), police said that the 78 individuals - 46 men and 32 women - were being probed after a joint anti-scam enforcement operation between officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and seven police land divisions from 8 to 15 April.
Preliminary investigations found that some of the suspects had allegedly sold their Singpass credentials for S$10,000 each. Their credentials were then used to open bank accounts and register for mobile phone lines. Most of them failed to receive their promised fees from the scammers, said the police.
Other suspects allegedly provided other people access to their Singpass accounts, without knowledge of whom they are providing their credentials to.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Amended legislation to better fight scams
The offence of disclosing a user’s Singpass credentials to facilitate an offence carries a maximum jail term of up to three years and/or a fine. Meanwhile, the offence of acquiring benefits from criminal conduct carries an imprisonment sentence of up to 10 years and/or a fine of up to S$500,000.
In 2023, the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill and the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Offences (Confiscation of Benefits) (Amendment) Bill were passed by Parliament.
The amendments sought to deter people from enabling or facilitating criminal activities, and help protect citizens and businesses using Singpass in daily transactions. The new offences under the amended legislation came into effect on 8 February this year.
Be wary of 'seemingly attractive' money-making opportunities
To avoid being an accomplice in such crimes, police said that the public should always reject "seemingly attractive money-making opportunities that promise fast and easy payouts" for the use of their Singpass accounts.
It also cautioned the public against disclosing their Singpass credentials, passwords or 2FA details to unknown persons.
"Scammers can use these Singpass accounts to access a whole suite of digital facilities, including opening bank accounts, e-wallets and crypto accounts and registering for mobile phone lines, to perpetuate scams and other criminal activities," said the police.
For more information on scams, the public can visit the Scam Alert website or call the Anti-Scam Helpline (1800-722-6688). Anyone with information on such scams may call the police hotline (1800-255-0000) or submit information online via the I-Witness platform.
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