SINGAPORE – Two men were charged in court on April 4 over separate offences relating to money laundering activities linked to scams, and one was charged over a case of rental scam.
Muhammad Aqid Rahmat, 28, is accused of sharing his OCBC and POSB bank accounts and his Singpass account with another person, who was not named in court documents.
Both his bank accounts were subsequently used to launder proceeds from job and investment scams, the police said in a statement on April 3.
The Singaporean had allegedly committed the acts in November 2022.
He had responded to an online job advertisement on messaging app Telegram that offered a monthly payment of $500. In exchange, Aqid had to open a crypto mining account and share his bank account details, login credentials and Singpass account.
Aqid’s case was adjourned to April 22 for further mention after he indicated that he would not be pleading guilty to the charges.
Separately, Wang Yuhang, 20, is accused of providing his bank account with CIMB Group to another person, who was not named in court documents.
The account was later used to launder proceeds from a job scam, the police said.
In October 2023, Wang had allegedly responded to an online advertisement on Telegram that offered $600 in exchange for Wang’s bank details and internet banking credentials.
Wang, who is currently serving his national service, did not enter a plea on April 4. His case has been fixed for further mention in court on May 8.
Between January and June 2023, more than 4,700 people were arrested or investigated for being money mules. In 2022, more than 7,800 people were nabbed for money mule offences.
“To avoid being an accomplice in these crimes, members of the public should always reject seemingly attractive money-making opportunities promising fast and easy payouts for the use of their Singpass accounts, bank accounts, or allow their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others,” the police said.
For abetting to secure unauthorised access to a bank’s computer system under the Computer Misuse Act, first-time offenders can be fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
Those convicted of unauthorised disclosure of access codes under the same Act can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.