15-year-old among 231 under probe in alleged scam cases
They are believed to be involved in over 721 cases of scams
The 231 individuals are aged between 15 and 76.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Danial Zahrin
PUBLISHED ONAugust 27, 2026 4:26 AMBYSean LerA total of 231 people, including a 15-year-old, are being investigated by the police for their alleged involvement in scams as scammers or money mules, following a two-week operation between Aug 13 and Aug 26.
The latest operation comes immediately after an earlier two-week operation from July 30 to Aug 12.
The August operation involved officers from the police's Cyber Command and the seven police land divisions.
Police said in a news release on Thursday (Aug 27) that the 149 men and 82 women being investigated are aged between 15 and 76.
They are believed to be involved in more than 721 scam cases comprising mainly e-commerce scams, phishing scams, job scams, government official impersonation scams, investment scams and lucky draw scams, where victims reportedly lost about $4.1 million.
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 reiterated 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 facilitation of scams.
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