31 arrested for allegedly buying SIM cards in bulk, passing them to crime syndicate for $10 to $15 each
Thirty-one people were arrested for their suspected involvement in fraudulently registering postpaid SIM cards for monetary gains.
The police said the 31 were among 44 people who were investigated following an island-wide enforcement operation conducted between July 17 and July 25.
The operation targeted errant subscribers registering postpaid SIM cards used for criminal activities, according to a police statement on July 28.
A total of 21 men and 10 women, aged between 16 and 48, were nabbed, while another nine men and four women, aged between 16 and 57, are assisting with investigations.
Preliminary investigations revealed that these errant subscribers were allegedly offered between $10 and $15 per registered SIM card. Each person had purportedly handed over between 31 and 49 SIM cards, registered under their names, to the criminal syndicate.
They were allegedly instructed to sign up and purchase SIM cards in bulk from different retailers, before handing them over to their couriers.
"Criminal syndicates exploit local SIM cards and eSIMs as a channel of communication for scams, unlicensed moneylending and vice, among other illicit activities," the police added.
The offence of knowingly providing a fraudulently registered SIM card to another person to facilitate a crime for any gain carries a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to three years in jail.
The police said they take a serious view of SIM cards being misused as a conduit
for crimes and will not hesitate to take action against individuals who misuse thei
reSIM/SIM card via reselling, allowing others to use their SIM cards, helping oth
erindividuals to register or holding multiple SIM cards without a legitimate reason.
More information on the misuse of SIM cards is available on the police website.
Those who suspect or know anyone who could be involved in the fraudulent registration of SIM cards can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
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