Girl, 17, arrested for subscribing to phone lines linked to bulk order scams involving fake SAF staff
A 17-year-old girl was among three more people arrested for their suspected involvement in fake bulk order scams involving the impersonation of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel.
This followed raids conducted by officers from the Commercial Affairs Department's Anti-Scam Command and Central Police Division conducted in Bukit Batok West, Fernvale Lane and Northshore Drive on Sept 18 and 19.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the trio had allegedly acted on instructions of a scam syndicate to facilitate the perpetration of this scam variant.
The teenager and a 21-year-old man had assisted scammers to subscribe to phone lines. Some of these lines were found to be linked to the scams.
Another man, 28, had allegedly relinquished his Singpass credentials to the scam syndicate for monetary gains.
Police investigations against the three individuals are ongoing.
Earlier, three other people were arrested for their involvement in the same scams after raids conducted on Sept 15 and 16.
The offence of disclosing one's Singpass credentials to facilitate an offence carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine or both.
The offence of knowingly providing a fraudulently registered SIM card to another person to facilitate a crime for any gain carries a fine not exceeding $10,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both.
On Sept 14, the Ministry of Defence warned the public about fraudulent bulk orders made by individuals impersonating SAF personnel.
In a Facebook post, the ministry said it was aware of seven such cases, none of which involved actual SAF personnel, and that police reports had been lodged.
How does the scam work?
Scammers would call a business and place a large order to be fulfilled within a short period.
The order would be large enough to require significant effort and resources to prepare, but not too large that the business would have to reject it outright, explained The Straits Times.
The scammer would claim the payment would be made once the order is collected. If the business operator asks for a down payment, the scammer would make excuses or false promises that it will be made closer to the collection time.
Nearing the deadline, the scammer would call or message the business again, requesting additional items or specific brands the targeted business does not carry or quantities it is unable to fulfil on short notice.
When the business says it is unable to provide these additional items, the scammer would threaten to cancel the order.
This is done to instil fear that the business will lose money from the effort and resources already spent to prepare the order.
After putting the target in this vulnerable state, the scammer then entices the business operator with a supposed solution.
The scammer would claim he has the contact of a supplier who can provide the additional items, but that the business must make the arrangements.
In desperation, the business would contact the supposed supplier and make payments for the additional items.
The supplier of the additional items is in on the scam and is from the same syndicate.
Worried that the order may be cancelled, the victim would be tricked into transferring significant sums as payment for the additional items.
But these items never arrive, and the bulk order is never collected.
The scammers would typically become uncontactable after receiving the money.
