Singapore police said on Saturday that a 27-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of cheating by impersonation. The authorities said in a press release that officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division arrested the duo at Rivervale Crescent on Thursday.
On Dec 13, 2017, a store reported that someone had redeemed gift vouchers using e-vouchers that were later found to be invalid. "They were found in possession of several identity cards including forged identity cards," the police said.
According to the police, both the suspects could be involved in a series of cheating by impersonation incidents. The media release stated that they have used forged cards to apply for handphone lines with telecommunications companies.
On Saturday, the suspects will be charged for conspiracy to commit cheating by impersonation. The authorities said that the if the suspects are convicted, they may be jailed up to five years, fined or both.
However, cases of impersonation are not new in the country. On Jan 27, two Taiwanese men, who were suspected of impersonating China officials in a scam, were arrested by the police. The authorities said the suspects aged 27 and 22, had allegedly cheated a woman of S$32,000.
Last year in July, another Taiwanese man was arrested for alleged involvement in a scam involving impersonation of police. A 55-year-old woman received a call from an unknown person who claimed to be a police officer.
In May 2017, the police had arrested two men aged 22 and 32, for allegedly impersonating police and scamming victims, one of whom lost S$50,000. The police had warned the members of the public in an advisory to be aware of unsolicited calls, especially from unknown parties. "Scammers may use Caller ID spoofing technology to mask the actual phone number and display a different number. Calls that appear to be from a local number may not actually be made from Singapore," the police said.
