By Fatimah Mujibah for The Straits Times
Copyright tnp
Three more people have been arrested for their suspected links to the recent fake bulk order scams that were carried out through impersonating Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen.
Two men and a woman aged between 17 and 28 were nabbed during raids in Bukit Batok West, Fernvale Lane and Northshore Drive, said the police in a statement on Sept 19.
The raids were carried out over two days from Sept 18, the statement added.
Early investigations suggest that the three suspects acted on the instructions of a scam syndicate.
One suspect, a 28-year-old man, is believed to have given up his Singpass credentials to the syndicate in exchange for money.
The other two suspects, a 17-year-old girl and a 21-year-old man, had helped unknown individuals to subscribe to phone lines.
Some of these phone lines were found to be linked to the bulk order scams, the police added.
On Sept 16, the police nabbed three suspects aged between 16 and 31 – the first arrests made after a rash of fake bulk orders came to light.
The bulk orders were put in with businesses, ranging from florists to food retailers, by customers claiming to be from the SAF.
The orders were often worth more than $1,000, but they were left uncollected and no payment was made.
At least five such cases had been reported since Sept 4, with losses totalling at least $32,000, the police said.
In a Facebook post on Sept 14, the Defence Ministry warned the public about fraudulent bulk orders made by people impersonating SAF personnel.
It said it was aware of seven such cases, none of which involved SAF personnel, and that police reports had been lodged.
Anyone found guilty of disclosing Singpass credentials to carry out an offence can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
Those who knowingly provide a fraudulently registered SIM card to another person to facilitate a crime can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.
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