SINGAPORE \u2013 A Malaysian man is expected to be charged in court on May 4 over his suspected role in a scam involving the impersonation of government officials and the purchase of a Rolex watch worth more than $108,000. <\/p>\n
This brings to 22 the total number of Malaysians arrested in Singapore since March for helping scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables, the police said in a statement on May 3.<\/p>\n
The police said they received a report on April 30 from a victim, who had received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from Singtel.<\/p>\n
The caller told the victim that her particulars had been used to buy an iPhone with a contract and that she would be liable for the charges.<\/p>\n
She was then directed to a chatbot, which told her that she was under investigation and to contact a particular police officer via a provided number for further information.<\/p>\n
The victim spoke with the supposed officer via video call. The supposed officer accused the victim of being involved in a money laundering case and told her to cooperate with the investigation by declaring all her assets.<\/p>\n
She was told to transfer all her funds from her bank account to her credit card and use it to buy a Rolex watch \u2013 valued at more than $108,000 \u2013 at Far East Plaza. She handed the watch to the Malaysian man, 29, to prove her innocence.<\/p>\n
She later realised she had been scammed and made a police report.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian man was identified and arrested on May 2.<\/p>\n
Preliminary investigations showed that the man had been tasked by unknown individuals, believed to be members of a transnational scam syndicate, to collect the Rolex watch from the victim and bring it back to Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The man is expected to be charged with assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct. If found guilty, he could face a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.<\/p>\n
The police said they continue to observe an increasing trend of Malaysians travelling to Singapore to help scam syndicates collect cash, gold and valuables from scam victims.<\/p>\n
The police advised the public to never transfer cash, jewellery or other valuables to unknown or unverified persons. They should also never leave money or other valuables at a location to facilitate subsequent collection, and never disclose login credentials to unknown people.<\/p>\n
The police added that Singapore government officials will never ask for money to be transferred over the phone or request banking login details. They will also not transfer calls to the police or instruct people to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores.<\/p>\n