SINGAPORE: Two Taiwanese men were arrested on Wednesday (Mar 28) for allegedly cheating a 58-year-old woman out of S$70,000, the police said in a news release.
The men are believed to be involved in a series of China officials impersonation scam, the police added.
In this particular case, the woman had received a phone call on Sunday from a man who claimed to be from the Chinese police.
He told her that she had been identified as a suspect in a cross-border fraud incident and had to surrender all the money in her bank account for investigation purposes.
"The victim was flustered and withdrew S$70,000 from her bank account on the same day," said the police in their news release.
She then met with another man and handed the cash over to him, as directed by the first man who had called her.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe police subsequently arrested the two Taiwanese men - aged 26 and 35 - on Wednesday.
Preliminary investigations show the two men had received criminal proceeds linked to a China officials impersonation scam, according to the police.
The men will be charged with dishonestly receiving stolen property on Thursday. If convicted, each of them could be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.
The police also advised members of the public to take precautions if they receive unsolicited calls to surrender money.
These precautions include ignoring the caller - no government agency would demand payment through telephone calls or social messaging platforms - as well as to call the relevant embassy or high commission if the caller claims to be a foreign government official.
Members of the public should not give out personal information and bank details to callers over the phone.
Those who need scam-related advice can call the anti-scam hotline at 1800-722-6688 or go to Scam Alert! - Home.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...