Six people aged between 19 and 34 have been arrested for their suspected involvement in scam-related activities as money mules. Another 13 individuals, aged 17 to 60, are currently being investigated for similar offences.
The arrests followed a 14-day enforcement operation conducted from December 10 to December 24.
According to the police, the suspects are believed to be linked to more than 45 scam cases involving various schemes, including e-commerce scams, friend impersonation scams, job scams, government official impersonation scams and investment scams. Victims in these cases are estimated to have lost more than S$406,800.
The police said that the suspects are being investigated for offences including cheating, abetting unknown persons to gain unauthorised access to banks' computer systems, and money laundering.
In a reminder to the public, the police highlighted new measures introduced from October to curb the misuse of bank accounts and mobile lines by money mules.
Individuals who have been warned, prosecuted, convicted or are under investigation for mule-related offences may be barred from registering new mobile lines and restricted from accessing banking services and national authentication platforms such as Singpass.
The measures were implemented by the Singapore Police Force in collaboration with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech).
The police reiterated that members of the public should reject any requests to use their bank accounts or mobile lines, warning that individuals will be held accountable if found to be linked to scam activities.
