3 Singaporeans arrested in Malaysia as police bust scam syndicate

SINGAPORE: Three Singaporeans were arrested in Malaysia on Monday (Jun 26) for their suspected involvement in laundering scam proceeds.

Two of them were extradited to Singapore on Friday, while the other is still under investigation in Malaysia.

The three men were arrested when officers of the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) raided an apartment complex in Johor on Monday.

The suspects, aged between 26 and 40, are believed to be responsible for laundering money linked to more than 50 scam cases reported in Singapore. They included investment, job and impersonation scams.

The scams amounted to losses of more than S$2.9 million (US$2.1 million).

Preliminary investigations showed that the suspects are believed to have procured Singapore bank accounts through various chat platforms such as Telegram and Facebook to launder the syndicate’s scam proceeds.

The raids took place after the RMP and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) shared information about scam cases in Singapore. Joint investigations identified the money laundering syndicate operating in Johor, said SPF.

Two of the suspects, aged 34 and 26, who were extradited will be charged in court on Saturday with assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct.

If found guilty, they may be fined up to S$500,000, jailed for up to 10 years, or both.

The other suspect is currently under investigation by the RMP for a separate offence committed in Malaysia.

Deputy Director of SPF’s Commercial Affairs Department, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Shee Tek Tze said scammers are constantly looking to obtain more bank accounts to facilitate their money laundering activities.

“Scammers need bank accounts from money mules to launder and move the scam proceeds out of Singapore in order to avoid detection and confiscation by the police,” he said.

He advised members of the public to ignore offers of quick monetary gains, including those on chat platforms such as Telegram or Facebook, in return for the use of their bank accounts.

“The Singapore Police Force will continue to collaborate closely with the Royal Malaysia Police to target these transnational syndicates,” he said.

SAC Shee also thanked his Malaysian counterparts for their “strong support and commitment in tackling the transnational scam syndicates which target our citizens”.