The police also noted two separate cases of Chinese services impersonation scams in end-April where victims were instructed to transfer S$25,000 and S$45,000 respectively to local bank accounts provided by the scammer.
Singapore’s Anti-Scam Centre found that part of their funds were sent to bank accounts in Malaysia on the same day, SPF added.
More than S$19,000 in total was recovered from the bank accounts in Malaysia with assistance from Malaysia’s National Scam Response Centre.
SPF’s Commercial Affairs Department Director David Chew noted the need for a transnational response to transnational threats in today’s world.
“In today’s digital age, scam syndicates operate without geographical constraints, employing increasingly sophisticated methods across multiple jurisdictions to defraud victims and launder their illicit proceeds,” he said.
“No single jurisdiction has an adequate answer to this scourge, but we are collectively stronger together.”
He also lauded the effectiveness of Operation Frontier+, the cross-border anti-scam collaboration platform that enables law enforcement agencies to work together.
Operation Frontier+ comprises representatives from ten jurisdictions – Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives, South Korea, Australia, Macau, Canada and Indonesia.
“Operation FRONTIER+ epitomises the effectiveness of international cooperation in fighting scams. This joint effort demonstrates our shared commitment to disrupting transnational scam syndicates,” Mr Chew said.
“We will continue strengthening these international partnerships to ensure our citizens are safe from scams and scammers have no safe haven.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/scams-1800-arrested-investigated-police-rental-impersonation-bank-transfer-5165696
