UOB staff prevent 62-year-old woman from losing further $50k in scam, 20-year-old M'sian man nabbed
A 20-year-old Malaysian man was arrested after vigilant UOB staff raised the alarm over an over-the-counter cash cheque withdrawal request linked to a government official impersonation scam.
The police said they received a call for assistance on Aug 27 at about 5.30pm, when the man allegedly tried to cash out at a UOB branch.
Officers from the Anti-Scam Command (ASCom) and Tanglin Police Division swiftly responded and arrested him within an hour.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had facilitated cheque encashments amounting to about $200,000.
The scam involved a 62-year-old victim who was allegedly duped into believing she was implicated in a case and instructed to surrender funds 'for investigative purposes'.
Following instructions from scammers, she handed over her cheque book with pre-signed blank pages and was told to validate transactions if contacted by the bank.
The man is said to have encashed cheques at different bank branches before UOB flagged the suspicious activity.
Prompt escalation by UOB and timely intervention by the ASCom foiled a subsequent attempted encashment, preventing further losses of S$50,000.
A cheque book was seized as case evidence.
Investigations also suggest the suspect had travelled to Singapore earlier in August to collect and deliver cash for the scam syndicate.
He is believed to be working in facilitating the scam syndicate to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
He will be charged in court on Aug 29 with abetment by conspiracy to assist another to retain benefits from criminal conduct under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in jail, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.
The police remind the public that government officials will never ask for money transfers, banking login details, or the installation of apps from unofficial stores over the phone.
They urge anyone with information to call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or dial 999 for urgent assistance.
