SINGAPORE: Two Malaysian men will be charged over their suspected involvement in a government official impersonation scam in which a woman was duped of 8.6kg of gold, Singapore police said on Saturday (Mar 21).
The suspects, aged 30 and 20, will be charged in court over the next two days, with police saying eight Malaysians have been arrested for similar cases this month alone.
The current case came to light on Friday when the police received a report from a 62-year-old woman who had received calls from unknown individuals claiming to be from telco M1 and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
The victim was allegedly informed that she had an outstanding bill of S$350 (US$195), which could not be deducted from her bank account. She was later told that some Apple products were also bought using her accounts, and delivered to an address in Bukit Batok.
When the victim said she was not familiar with the address and tried to cancel the transactions, she was referred to someone posing as an MAS investigation officer.
The person claimed that the victim was involved in a money laundering case and instructed her to declare her assets. After she disclosed her valuables, including 8.6kg of gold, she was told to hand them over for inspection to prove her innocence.
She was instructed to place the gold in a bag and drive to the vicinity of the MAS building, where a man approached her vehicle, recited a codeword and took the bag before leaving.
The victim became suspicious and found out from a security guard that the man was not affiliated with MAS. The victim made a police report.