Malaysian arrested in Singapore for scam syndicate work

The caller told the victim that she was enrolled in an M1 mobile line contract plan, and would be charged for a two-year subscription.

When the victim denied having signed up for the plan, her call was transferred to two scammers posing as Monetary Authority of Singapore officials.

They created a sense of urgency and fear in the victim by falsely claiming that she was being probed for money laundering.

The fake officials then told the victim to hand over $21,000 in cash for investigation later that day, police said. She made a police report after she realised she had been scammed.

The man is slated to be charged on April 25 with assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct. If found guilty, he faces a maximum jail term of 10 years, a fine not exceeding $500,000, or both.

The police urged the public to never transfer cash, jewellery and other valuables to any unknown people, or those whose identity they have not verified. Cash and valuables should also not be left at a location to facilitate subsequent collection, police said.