Man scams elderly Singapore woman of $20,000, to be charged in court

A Malaysian man will be charged in court on Thursday (July 23) after he allegedly scammed an elderly woman in Singapore of $20,000.

The police received a report regarding the fake friend scam on July 3 from a 69-year-old victim who claimed that she had received a call for help from an "acquaintance".

The "acquaintance" had purportedly been detained by Singapore Immigration after landing at Changi Airport Terminal 4 for failing to declare funds in his bank account.

He claimed he needed $20,000 to post bail, the police said.

Believing the man to be her friend, the victim went to Changi Airport T4 the next morning, and delivered $20,000 in cash to an unknown individual.

She realised she had been scammed when she was asked to make additional bank transfers.

Officers from the Airport Police Division quickly identified the 23-year-old man who had taken the victim's cash, intercepting and arresting him on Wednesday (July 22) at the T4 departure hall before he could flee the country.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man was recruited by individuals believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate.

Once a scam was complete, cash taken from victims would be delivered to other unknown persons, the police said.

The man will be charged with the offence of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct.

If found guilty, he can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000 and caned up to 12 times.

The police stressed that members of the public ought to be wary of being contacted by people via unknown numbers, seeking urgent financial help.

"Always make further checks to verify the identity of the requestors through other sources," the police advised.

"Never transfer money to any persons whose identity is not adequately verified."

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