Malaysian Arrested With Fake Supreme Court, Singapore MOH Stamps
SINGAPORE: A Malaysian man was arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint on August 11 on suspicion of possessing fake work passes and official stamps believed to be intended for use in fraud.
The 23‑year‑old man was found to possess a stamping device bearing the logos of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of Singapore, reported Singapore’s Straits Times.
It was discovered when he was directed to undergo further checks by officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at the arrival bus hall of the checkpoint.
Several fake work passes displaying his photograph were also found on the man.
According to police, investigations revealed that the man had never had any employment record with any organisation or employer under the names and passes found in his possession.
“Fake passes and stamping devices that look like official items are among the tactics commonly used by scammers to convince victims that they are dealing with legitimate representatives,” they said in a statement yesterday.
The man was charged in court today for making or possessing an instrument for counterfeiting with intent to forge.
If convicted, he faces imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine.
According to the police’s annual scams and cybercrime statistics, the number of government‑official impersonation scams more than doubled to 3,363 cases in 2025, compared to 1,504 cases in 2024.
The total losses from this type of scam also increased by 60.5 percent to approximately SGD$243 million (RM776 million), making it the second most common scam type with the highest losses in 2025.
Overall, Singapore has suffered losses of more than SGD$4 billion (RM12.8 billion) due to scams since 2019, with total losses reaching SGD$913.1 million (RM2.9 billion) in 2025.
Of that amount, police managed to recover approximately SGD$140.5 million (RM448.4 million).
In yesterday’s statement, police advised the public to ask as many questions as possible to understand the investment opportunities being offered.
If the company is unable or unwilling to answer the questions posed, the public is advised to regard that as a warning sign.
The public is also urged to check the company, owners, directors and management to ensure that the investment opportunity is genuine.
In addition, the credentials of the company and its representatives should be verified using available sources, including the Financial Institutions Directory, the Representatives Register and the Investor Alert List on the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) website.
The public is also advised to ensure that any mobile application downloaded is legitimate and available on official app stores.
Reviews and user ratings of an application should also be checked before downloading it, even if the application appears legitimate and is available on an official app store.
The authenticity of court orders can be verified through the ‘Authentic Court Orders’ portal using the unique QR code or access code printed on the court order.
In addition, the authenticity of court documents can also be verified through official contact channels listed on the Singapore Courts website.
AGENSI