Singapore arrests Taiwanese man for scamming people by impersonating police

The police say the victims had suffered losses amounting to a total of more than S$800,000.

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Singapore Police Force (SPF) arrested a Taiwanese man for alleged involvement in a scam involving impersonation of police. The authorities said they were alerted to the case on Thursday, after a 55-year-old woman received a call from an unknown person who claimed to be a police officer.

According to reports, the victim was told that she was being investigated by the police for money laundering offences and the call was then transferred to an unknown person who identified himself to be a police officer from a foreign country.

SPF said in a news release that the victim was provided a link to an e-service website reportedly from the Singapore Police Force. There she was asked to key in her Internet banking credentials. Subsequently, the victim discovered that her bank account was accessed illegally without her knowledge and about S$225,000 had been transferred to unknown bank accounts.

SPF added that the preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspect is believed to be involved in at least ten other similar cases. Reports showed that the victims had suffered losses amounting to a total of more than S$800,000.

On Saturday, the suspect will be charged in court. If found guilty of the offence of dishonestly receiving stolen property, he might face up to five years of jail along with a fine.

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