Scam.SG Weekly News Summary: Latest Fraud & Protection Tips

Scams are a growing threat in Singapore, and scammers are getting more sophisticated. According to the 2024 Annual Scams and Cybercrime Brief by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the number of scams and cybercrime cases rose by 10.8% to 55,810 in 2024, compared to 50,376 cases in 2023. This number is expected to increase in 2024 as scammers develop new methods to scam innocent Singaporeans of their money and personal details. 

 

We must know what to do when we are faced with a scam, as well as how to spot and avoid them. Learn prevention tips as well to protect you and your loved ones from facing a potential scam. In this weekly summary, we summarise the top scam summaries from the Singapore Police Force to help you stay safe from new scam trends of 14/4/2025. Stay safe, stay protected and stay informed with Scam.SG!

22/4/2025 

 

Summary: In this scam advisory, the SPF reported that 88 persons are being investigated for their suspected involvement in fraudulently registering SIM cards. 

 

Between 10 and 17 April 2025, officers from the Anti-Scam Command (ASC) and seven Police Land Divisions conducted an island-wide enforcement operation against errant subscribers registering postpaid SIM cards used for criminal activities. There were 34 youths arrested, aged between 15 and 17, along with a 19-year-old who was believed to be a recruiter. 

 

Preliminary investigations have found that these errant subscribers were paid cash rewards between S$100 and S$500 for handing over 10 to 40 SIM cards registered under their name to criminal syndicates. These subscribers were allegedly instructed to sign up and purchase SIM cards in bulk across different retailers, before handing them to the recruiters or couriers. One recruiter was arrested during this operation. 

 

The misuse of SIM cards is a criminal offence. The Police take a serious view of SIM cards being misused for crimes and will not hesitate to take action against individuals who misuse their eSIM/SIM card via reselling, allowing others to use their SIM cards, helping other individuals to register or holding multiple SIM cards without a legitimate reason. 

 

For more information on this story, visit the SPF website. For more information on the misuse of SIM cards, members of the public can visit the Misuse of SIM Card Offences. 

 

20/4/2025

 

Summary: In this scam advisory, the SPF warns against investment scams propagated through fake social media advertisements or posts purportedly endorsed by Singapore Political Office Holders. 

Learn more about this story with Scam.SG. Discover how to spot and avoid this variant of investment scams. 

17/4/2025 

 

Summary: The SPF investigate 293 scammers and money mules in an island-wide enforcement operation. 

 

Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and seven Police Land Divisions conducted a 2-week operation between 4 and 17 April 2025. A total of 201 men and 92 women, aged between 15 and 79, are assisting in investigations for their suspected involvement in scams as scammers or money mules. 

 

The suspects are believed to be involved in more than 920 cases of scams, comprising mainly friend impersonation scams, investment scams, job scams, e-commerce scams, government official impersonation scams and rental scams, where victims reportedly lost over $9.63 million.

 

For more information on this scam, visit the SPF website. Learn more about the different scam types in Singapore with Scam.SG – How to spot and avoid them. 

 

 

17/4/2025

 

Summary: The SPF warns Singaporeans about the prevalence of malware scams affecting Android users. 

 

The Police would like to remind members of the public to remain vigilant against malware scams where victims are deceived into installing malicious applications on their devices. Since February 2025, at least 128 cases have been reported, with total losses amounting to at least $2.4 million.

 

Learn more about this story with Scam.SG! Discover how to spot and avoid this variant of malware scam in Singapore. 

16/4/2025

 

Summary: The SPF have arrested a 19-year-old man for his suspected involvement in cases of supplying SIM cards to scam syndicates. 

 

Between 10 and 15 April 2025, the Police received several reports regarding students being recruited to provide SIM cards registered under their personal information, in exchange for monetary compensation. 

Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command (ASC) established the identity of the man and arrested him. Preliminary investigations revealed that between November 2024 and February 2025, the man had engaged several students to register SIM cards using their personal information at retailers in return for cash. He would pay them a sum of money to register multiple SIM cards and then collect the SIM cards from them once done.  

 

The man will be charged in court on 17 April 2025 for the offence of supplying SIM cards registered using other persons’ personal information for criminal activity.

 

For more on this story, visit the SPF website. For more information on the misuse of SIM cards, members of the public can visit the Misuse of SIM Card Offences. Visit Scam.SG to discover the different types of scams in Singapore. 

14/4/2025

 

Summary: The SPF warns Singaporeans of the resurgence of phishing scams involving the impersonation of OneMotoring/LTA.

 

The Police would like to alert members of the public to a resurgence of phishing scams involving the impersonation of OneMotoring. Since December 2024, there were at least 37 cases reported with total losses amounting to at least S$407,000.

 

Learn more about this phishing scam story with Scam.SG! Discover tips on how to spot and avoid this variant of scam. Visit Scam.SG for more information on phishing scams, impersonation scams, as well as other scam types.