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Police arrest 18 people for alleged online scams

SINGAPORE — In a two-day operation that ended this morning, police arrested 18 people aged between 16 and 47 in relation to online scams.

SINGAPORE — In a two-day operation that ended this morning, police arrested 18 people aged between 16 and 47 in relation to online scams.

These Multiple Payment Online Purchase (MPOP) scams typically involve sale of items below market price and consumers are directed to transfer money to local bank accounts. After which, the scammers would ask for additional fund transfers for custom fees, insurance and balanced payment until the victim realises that he has been cheated.

Police believe the scammers to be overseas and said the local bank accounts come from “money mules” the scammers have recruited overseas.

Those arrested are being investigated for cheating and allowing their bank accounts to be used to facilitate the scam.

The first half of this year saw 302 such MPOP cases, compared to 13 in the same time frame last year. From January to June this year, at least S$237,000 have been cheated in this manner. None have recovered their money.

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