Police probing 259 people over scams that cost victims $5.2 million

: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The 181 men and 78 women were allegedly involved in more than 648 cases of scams. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG Rebekah Chia Updated Sep 24, 2026, PM Set as preferred source Listen Summarise Police are investigating 259 people aged 16 to 82 for involvement in scams causing losses of about $5.2 million. The suspects are linked to over 648 scam cases including e-commerce, phishing, job fraud, impersonation, investments, and lucky draws. Convicted scammers face caning and other penalties; police urge public to report scams via ScamShield and official hotlines. AI generated SINGAPORE – The police are investigating 259 people over their alleged involvement in scams that have cost victims around $5.2 million in total. The 181 men and 78 women, aged between 16 and 82, were rounded up after a two-week operation conducted from Sept 10 to Sept 23, the police said in a press release on Sept 24. They were allegedly involved in more than 648 scam cases as scammers or money mules, preliminary investigations showed. These ruses involved mainly e-commerce, phishing, job, investment and lucky draw scams, as well as the impersonation of government officials. The 259 people are being investigated for their suspected involvement in cheating, money laundering, or providing unlicensed payment services. Scammers, as well as members or recruiters of scam syndicates, may face between six and 24 strokes of the cane upon conviction. Those who help scammers , providing SIM cards or providing Singpass credentials may face up to 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction. Those who are involved in mule-related offences may also face restrictions on banking services and mobile line subscriptions, the police said. For more information on scams, visit www. scamshield. gov. sg or call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799. To provide information on such scams to the police, call 1800-255-0000 or go to www. police. gov. sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential, the police said.