Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysian Police Dismantle Cross-Border Scam Syndicate, 11 Arrested

The police forces of Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia have joined forces to dismantle a cross-border telecommunications scam syndicate, arresting 11 individuals. Among them, a 29-year-old male suspect has already been charged in Singapore.

The Singapore Police Force issued a notice on the 17th, stating that the Singapore Police Force, Hong Kong Police, and the Royal Malaysia Police conducted operations between April and June this year, dismantling a cross-border criminal syndicate using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for fraudulent activities.

According to the notice, the Commercial Affairs Department, Criminal Investigation Department, and Police Intelligence Department in Singapore worked with the police in Hong Kong and Malaysia to share intelligence and conduct investigations. They uncovered that the syndicate had built a sophisticated cross-border crime network, targeting multiple locations across the three regions in coordinated raids.

Investigations revealed that the syndicate used advanced cloud-based remote operation systems to connect the GSM mobile phone networks of the three regions. This tactic allowed them to remotely control devices and make fraudulent calls via local mobile networks, convincing Singaporean victims of their authenticity.

In total, the three police forces seized 226 GSM devices — 75 in Singapore, 10 in Malaysia, and 141 in Hong Kong. Eleven suspects aged between 24 and 48 were arrested.

Among the 11 suspects, four Hong Kong nationals were arrested in Hong Kong, three Malaysian nationals were arrested in Malaysia (one of whom was extradited to Singapore), and three Malaysian nationals along with one Singaporean were arrested locally.

The notice stated that a 29-year-old suspect was arrested in Malaysia on June 3, and extradited to Singapore two days later to face a conspiracy to commit fraud charge. The case is scheduled for a plea hearing on July 22. Under Section 420 of Singapore's Penal Code, if found guilty of fraud, the suspect could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine.

The police mentioned that the coordinated operation was conducted under the “FRONTIER+” initiative. This is a cross-regional anti-scam collaboration network, whose members include police forces from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and representatives from seven other jurisdictions.