SINGAPORE – Two men have been charged for their alleged roles in an impersonation scam.
Ng Jee How, 46, and Chiw Meng Tong, 48, were each handed a charge for assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct on Friday (June 11).
Ng, a Malaysian and Singapore PR, is alleged to have collected a total of $230,000 from three people and to have handed part of it to Chiw.
Chiw purportedly collected $209,000 from Ng, depositing $18,600 from that sum into unknown accounts and handing $186,000 to an unknown man.
In a release on Thursday, the police said it received reports from five victims from July 18 to 29 last year.
The victims had fallen prey to the ‘China officials impersonation’ scam, and had handed over more than $1.5 million.
They were tricked into doing so by phone scammers who claimed to be officials from China, who accused them of being involved in transnational money-laundering crimes.
The victims said they handed the money over believing it was to prove that their money was not derived from illegal activities.
Investigations by the police found that Ng and Chiw had responded to a job listing on Facebook promising $300 for courier work.
The two men then followed a series of instructions, collecting about $230,000 from three of the five victims.
They then allegedly handed over the collected funds to unknown persons, receiving a total of $15,700 in commission.
The commission received by both men was surrendered to the police during the course of investigations.
Both men are out on bail of $15,000 each, and their cases are expected to be heard again on July 9.
If convicted, they may each be jailed for up to 10 years, or fined up to $500,000, or both.
Members of the public are advised by the police to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls asking them to part with their money:
1. Ignore the calls and the caller’s instructions.
2. Understand that no local government agency will demand payment through a phone call or social messaging platforms, or demand that they hand over cash to strangers, or ask for personal banking information.
3. If they are not Singaporean, check with their embassy or high commission to verify the call.
4. Call a friend or relative before making any decisions.
The police added that the public should not collect money for strangers, especially if they are claiming to be law enforcement officers.
Those who have any information related to these scams or have any doubts can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit a report online.