Singapore: 35-Year-Old Malaysian Man Arrested for Alleged Role in Government Official Impersonation Scams
A 35-year-old Malaysian man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in two separate cases of Government Official Impersonation Scams (GOIS).
The two incidents, reported on November 11 and 12, involved scammers posing as officials from agencies such as the Ministry of Law, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and even private companies.
In both cases, the scammers allegedly manipulated victims into believing that their identities or bank accounts were linked to criminal activities, before instructing them to hand over cash or valuables.
In the first case, a woman was contacted by someone claiming to represent UnionPay, who told her that an insurance policy she supposedly owned was about to expire. When she insisted, she had never purchased such a policy, the caller warned that her identity might have been misused and that a police report would be filed on her behalf.
Moments later, the victim received another call, this time from individuals claiming to be from the Ministry of Law and MAS. They allegedly demanded her financial details “for investigations” and instructed her to withdraw S$9,000 and pass it to a representative.
The scammers later ordered her to buy more than S$170,000 worth of gold for what they claimed was a money-laundering probe. Her attempt to purchase the gold at a UOB branch was halted when bank staff, sensing something amiss, advised her that she might be the target of a scam.
The second case involved a man who also received calls from individuals claiming to be from the same government agencies. He was told that his bank account had been compromised and that an investigation officer would contact him.
Over multiple calls, the scammers demanded his banking information and instructed him to prepare cash for “investigations and safekeeping”. Fearing arrest, the victim handed over S$15,000 in cash to an unknown person the next day.
Officers from the Anti-Scam Command of the Commercial Affairs Department later identified the man believed to have collected the funds from both victims. He was arrested on November 12 when he attempted to leave Singapore. Preliminary findings suggest that he had been acting on the instructions of unknown individuals believed to belong to a transnational scam syndicate, collecting cash from multiple victims before passing it on to the syndicate.
The suspect is expected to be charged on Friday, November 14, with abetment by conspiracy to assist in retaining benefits from criminal conduct under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. The offence carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ jail, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
Police noted a rising trend of Malaysian nationals entering Singapore to collect money and valuables on behalf of scam syndicates. They warned that anyone involved in facilitating such scams will face firm enforcement action.
Members of the public were reminded not to hand over cash, valuables or bank information to unknown individuals and to avoid placing money in designated locations for collection. Authorities stressed that legitimate government officers — including those from the Ministry of Law and MAS — will never ask for money transfers, bank login details, installation of unofficial apps, or direct callers to the police through unsolicited phone calls.
