2 Malaysian men charged after collecting S$55,000 in cash and jewellery from Singapore scam victims
SINGAPORE: Two Malaysian men aged 24 and 35 will be charged in court on October 8, 2026, for their roles as physical collection runners for a transnational government impersonation scam syndicate, after separately collecting gold jewellery worth S$16,000 and cash of S$39,000 from victims in Singapore on October 5 and 6, 2026.
Case 1: YouTrip and fake MAS officer
On Oct 5, a 71-year-old victim received a call from someone claiming to represent YouTrip, informing her that an unauthorised transaction had been made in her name to purchase an insurance policy. When she denied the purchase, she was transferred to a caller claiming to be an MAS officer who told her she was under investigation for money laundering.
The scammer presented the victim with a forged Supreme Court order demanding the surrender of her assets for investigative purposes. Following the instructions, she handed over gold jewellery and other valuables worth approximately S$16,000 to a male subject the same day. Her son recognised the scam that evening and contacted the police.
Case 2: Fake M1 SIM card and police impersonation
On Oct 6, a victim received a call claiming their identity had been used to purchase an M1 SIM card. The call was transferred to a second person impersonating a police officer, who instructed the victim to assist with an investigation by meeting a man near Hougang Avenue 3 to hand over S$39,000 in cash. The victim subsequently realised they had been scammed and filed a report.
Through follow-up investigations, Cyber Command officers established the identity of the 24-year-old and arrested him on Oct 6. The 35-year-old was identified with assistance from the Police Operations Command Centre and ICA, and arrested in the vicinity of Woodlands Checkpoint the same day.
Preliminary investigations revealed both men had been tasked by unknown individuals, believed to be members of a transnational scam syndicate, to collect valuables or cash from victims and pass them to other unknown individuals.
A growing cross-border trend
The Police noted an increasing trend of Malaysian nationals travelling to Singapore specifically to collect cash, gold, and valuables from scam victims on behalf of overseas syndicates. The two men will be charged with abetment by conspiracy to assist another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct under the CDSA, carrying imprisonment of up to ten years, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
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Scam runners face additional sentencing exposure: scam syndicate members and recruiters face mandatory caning of six to 24 strokes, while money mules face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes. Individuals involved in mule-related offences also face banking and mobile line restrictions under the Facility Restriction Framework.
What to do
Never hand cash, jewellery, or valuables to unknown persons. Never leave money or valuables at a location for collection. Never share your screen or login credentials. Singapore government officials will never ask you to transfer money over the phone, request banking login details, or transfer your call to the Police.
For scam-related queries, call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 or visit www.scamshield.gov.sg. To report information, call 1800-255-0000 or submit at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. For urgent assistance, dial 999.