A 26-year-old Malaysian man is due in a Singapore court on Wednesday, June 10, accused of helping turn mobile phone lines into tools for scammers.
Police say it started with a retailer. On June 8, officers from the Anti-Scam Command raided what they called an errant retailer that registered postpaid SIM cards later used by overseas syndicates. The man was the one they say did the registering.
According to the police statement issued June 9, he took the details of real customers and used them to sign up for extra postpaid lines. He then passed the cards to other people. Those lines turned up in impersonation scams.
The charge
He faces one count of facilitating the fraudulent registration of a SIM card that enables criminal activity, under Section 39G of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act 1906. A conviction can bring a fine of up to $10,000, up to three years in prison, or both. The offender can also be caned, with a maximum of 12 strokes.
Police said they take a serious view of SIM cards being used to carry out crime. They named the conduct they will act on: registering extra cards without authorisation, letting others use a SIM, helping someone else register, and holding several cards with no legitimate reason. Retailers who do it are on the list.
Criminal syndicates, the police added, use local SIM cards to run scams, unlicensed moneylending and vice, among other illicit activities. “Anyone found to be linked to such crimes will be held accountable,” they said.
Sources
- Malaysian Man To Be Charged For His Suspected Involvement In Fraudulently Registering Sim Cards
- Man to be charged over alleged fraudulent SIM card registrations linked to scams
- Duo to be charged over fraudulent registration of SIM cards after raid on retailers
