PUBLISHED ONJuly 30, 2026 6:48 AMBYSean LerA total of 255 people are being investigated by the police for their alleged involvement in scams, following a two-week operation between July 16 and July 29.
The operation involved officers from the police's Cyber Command and the seven police land divisions.
Police said on Thursday (July 30) that 172 men and 83 women, aged between 16 and 77, are believed to be involved in over 660 cases of scams, resulting in losses of around $5.6 million.
The cases comprise mostly e-commerce, friend impersonation, job, government official impersonation, investment and rental scams.
They are now being investigated for various alleged offences including cheating, money laundering, or providing payment services without a licence.
If found guilty of cheating, an individual may face a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine, while those convicted of money laundering may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000.
Carrying on a business to provide any type of payment service without a licence may result in a fine of up to $125,000, a jail term for up to three years, or both.
Additionally, scammers as well as members or recruiters of scam syndicates will also face mandatory caning of at least six strokes and up to 24, as part of amendments introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs which came into effect on Dec 30, 2025.
Scam mules who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds, providing SIM cards and SingPass credentials may face up to 12 strokes of the cane.
The police also stressed that those found linked to such crimes will be held accountable, and individuals involved in mule-related offences may face restrictions to their banking services and mobile line subscriptions to prevent further scams from occurring.
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