A 24-year-old Malaysian man was charged on Monday, October 27, for his suspected involvement in a case of government official impersonation scam ("GOIS").
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that they received a report on Saturday, October 25, where a victim was deceived by scammers who impersonated officials from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
SPF said, "The victim was told that he had been implicated in an offence and was required to surrender funds for investigative purposes. Following the scammers' instructions, the victim handed over jewelry worth approximately S$80,000, two luxury watches worth approximately S$11,000, and cash of S$25,600 to unknown persons."
"Through extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations, officers from police operations Command Centre, Bedok Police Division and Anti-Scam Command established the identity of a man involved. The 24-year-old Malaysian man was subsequently detained at Woodlands Checkpoint on the same day," added the police.
According to preliminary investigations, the man took the victim's money and valuables and then left Singapore within an hour. Then, the money and valuables were given to an unidentified Malaysian individual.
When he returned to Singapore for the second time in one day, the man was taken into custody. It is thought that the man was helping the scam syndicate keep the profits from illegal activity and was involved in other cases of a similar nature.
According to Section 51 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992, the man was accused of conspiring to aid another in keeping the proceeds of illegal activity. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
