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SINGAPORE, March 22 \u2014 Singapore police arrested two Malaysian men on March 21 for their suspected involvement in scams that involved impersonating government officials.<\/p>\n
The arrests bring the number of Malaysians detained in such cases this month to eight, according to a report by The Straits Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n Police said the latest arrests followed a case reported on March 20, when a 62\u2011year\u2011old woman received calls from individuals claiming to be from telco M1 and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.<\/p>\n The callers told her she had an overdue bill of S$350 (RM1,076) and later alleged that Apple products had been purchased using her accounts and delivered to an address in Bukit Batok.<\/p>\n One of the scammers, posing as an MAS officer on WhatsApp, instructed her to declare her valuables and bring 8.6kg of gold to the MAS Building in Shenton Way.<\/p>\n An unknown man approached her car, said the agreed codeword and took the bag before leaving.<\/p>\n The victim became suspicious and checked with a security guard, who confirmed the man was not linked to MAS.<\/p>\n She immediately contacted the police for assistance.<\/p>\n Investigators from the Police Operations Command Centre, Central and Woodlands police divisions, the Anti\u2011Scam Command and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority later arrested the two Malaysians.<\/p>\n Police said the 30\u2011year\u2011old suspect was detained while attempting to leave Singapore, while the 20\u2011year\u2011old was found near Woodlands.<\/p>\n Authorities believe both men had been instructed by unknown members of a transnational scam syndicate to collect valuables such as cash, gold bars and jewellery from victims and pass them to other individuals.<\/p>\n The 30\u2011year\u2011old is expected to be charged on March 22 with assisting another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct, while the 20\u2011year\u2011old is scheduled to be charged on March 23 with the same offence.<\/p>\n If convicted, they face up to 10 years\u2019 jail, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.<\/p>\n Police advised the public not to hand over cash or valuables to unverified individuals, avoid leaving items unattended for collection, and refrain from sharing device screens or login details with unfamiliar people, adding that more information on scams is available at www.scamshield.gov.sg or through the ScamShield helpline at 1799.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n