An international anti-scam operation led to the arrest of more than 3,000 individuals across 10 jurisdictions and the seizure of over $200 million in illicit funds. The operation targeted various scams, including e-commerce scams, government officials impersonation scams, and friend impersonation scams.
Over $200m seized, more than 3,000 arrested in anti-scam operation by Singapore police and international agencies3,018 subjects, aged between 13 and 85, were arrested during the operation.
A two-month enforcement operation resulted in the arrest of more than 3,000 people across 10 jurisdictions and the seizure of over $200 million in illicit funds. In a press release on Wednesday , the Singapore Police Force said the transnational operation, codenamed Operation Frontier+ III, was conducted between March 10 and May 7 and targeted a wide range of scams, including e-commerce scams, government officials impersonation scams, and friend impersonation scams.
The operation saw the Anti-Scam Centre of SPF partnering with nine foreign law enforcement agencies, including organisationsMore than 3,200 officers were deployed during the operation, which led to the investigation of some 7,500 subjects investigated in relation to scam cases totalling $963 million. Almost 102,000 bank accounts linked to scams were closed during the operation, resulting in the seizure of more than $207 million in illicit funds, said the police.
In Singapore, over 1,000 subjects were investigated in relation to some 3,000 scam cases which involved $69.3 million in losses. The Frontier+ network proved pivotal in cross-border fund-recovery efforts, as demonstrated by four successful cases during the period of the operation, the police said. One such example includes a business email compromise scam, where the CEO of a Singapore-based company received a WhatsApp call from a scammer on April 9, pretending to be the chairman of the firm's headquarters.
The scammer instructed the CEO to assume responsibility for an acquisition project, resulting in a total of US$36.3 million being transferred from the company's overseas and local bank accounts into two local OCBC accounts. The deception was uncovered on April 17 after the CEO verified the acquisition with the actual chairman, which led to a police report being made.
The ASC subsequently intervened and managed to seize US$9.7 million in the local accounts, while approximately US$26.5 million had already been wired to bank accounts in Hong Kong. The ASC immediately sought assistance from Hong Kong SAR's Anti-Deception Coordination Centre, resulting in the seizure of more than US$11.1 million fromInvestigations subsequently led to the arrest of two Singaporeans who facilitated the opening of a corporate bank account to receive the illicit funds, and investigations are ongoing.
The Frontier+ cross-border anti-scam collaboration platform comprises representatives from anti-scam centres of 14 law enforcement agencies — Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Republic of Maldives, Thailand, Australia, Macao SAR, Canada, Indonesia, Brunei, South Africa, UAE Dubai and the United States.
"Our ability to curb cross-border scams hinges on the depth of the relationships we build with the Frontier+ network," said Peggy Pao, director of the commercial affairs department. With the Frontier+ partnership, agencies are able to real-time alerts, pool analytical resources and conduct synchronised raids, accelerating the identification of illicit fund flows and the dismantling of scam operations, she said.
"Looking ahead, we will continue to build on our Frontier+ partnerships, so that Singapore and the wider region remain resilient against the ever-evolving tactics of scam syndicates. "
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