More than 260 people are being investigated for being alleged scammers or money mules following a two-week enforcement operation by the police, who said the victims purportedly lost over $3 million.
Those under investigation comprise 177 males and 91 females, aged between 15 and 73.
The police said in a statement yesterday that the suspects are believed to be involved in 542 cases, comprising largely of loan, e-commerce and Internet love scams.
The police said the islandwide operation was conducted between Oct 24 and Friday by officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and the seven police land divisions.
Anyone convicted of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
Those convicted of money laundering under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act can be imprisoned for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000.
E-commerce and loan scams were among the four most common types of scams in the first six months of this year, said the police in August.
From January to June, 2,089 cases involving e-commerce scams were reported, up from 1,202 cases in the first half of last year.
For the same period, 1,014 cases of loan scams were reported this year, up from 650 last year.
The police have reminded the public that they can avoid being an accomplice to crimes by always rejecting requests to use their bank account or mobile lines. Otherwise, they will be held accountable if these are linked to illegal transactions.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.
Anyone with information on such scams can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police .gov.sg/iwitness.
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2,089
Number of cases involving e-commerce scams reported from January to June, up from 1,202 cases in the first half of last year.
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1,014
Number of cases of loan scams that were reported this year for the same period, up from 650 last year.