Singapore, Cambodia Joint Ops Lead to 12 Arrests in Multi-Million Dollar Scam

SINGAPORE, Sept 11 (VoM): Twelve individuals have been arrested in Singapore for their alleged involvement in a cross-border scam syndicate believed to be behind more than S$40 million in losses. The suspects, nabbed in raids on Tuesday (Sept 9), are set to be charged in court today.

According to the Singapore Police Force, the group comprises eight Singaporean men, one Singaporean woman, two Malaysian men, and one Filipino woman. Raids were conducted at several residential units and hotel rooms across Singapore. Preliminary investigations revealed that some suspects had willingly travelled to Cambodia, where they carried out scams in exchange for commissions.

In a coordinated operation, the Cambodian National Police (CNP) also raided a building and warehouse in Phnom Penh, seizing more than S$2.5 million in bank and cryptocurrency assets, 53 electronic devices, scam scripts, and victims’ records. The facility was allegedly used as a scam center targeting Singaporean victims.

The suspects are expected to be charged under the Organized Crime Act for being part of a locally linked criminal group. Authorities said the syndicate is connected to at least 330 reported scam cases, many involving government official impersonation.

Since December 2024, victims in Singapore have reported receiving calls from scammers posing as bank staff, who then redirected them to another fraudster impersonating police officers or officials from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The victims were tricked into believing their bank accounts were under investigation and instructed to transfer funds to syndicate-controlled accounts.

Police confirmed that several suspects who acted as callers for the syndicate had only recently returned to Singapore from Cambodia.

The Cambodian police operation remains ongoing. Singapore authorities said they are working closely with foreign law enforcement agencies to track down other syndicate members who are still at large.

@ Voice of Malaysia News