SINGAPORE — Two men aged 21 and 25 have been arrested for their suspected involvement in China officials impersonation scams which involved staged kidnappings, said the police on Saturday (Jan 20).

The two victims in the cases lost nearly S$450,000 to the scams, according to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a news release. 

On Wednesday, the police received two separate reports that a 19-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man had allegedly been kidnapped.

The parents of the victims, who were based in China, had received videos of the victims being tied up, with ransom demands from unknown people talking in Mandarin.

The victims’ parents contacted their friends in Singapore, who in turn reported the incidents to the police. Police tracked down the victims and found that they had fallen prey to China officials impersonation scams.

In the first case, the 19-year-old female victim received an unsolicited call on Oct 31, purportedly from an Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer. She was then routed to another scammer claiming to be a police officer from China.

The officer alleged that her particulars were used to sign up for a bank card involved in money-laundering activities in China.

She was also told that to avoid arrest and deportation, she had to hand over money for her bail and to resolve the case. In all, she transferred more than S$230,000 to the bank accounts of the "China Police", SPF said.

The victim was also made to report to the “China Police” through video calls on her mobile phone five times daily, as part of purported ongoing investigations.

In early January, the scammer asked her to assist in the investigations by recording a video of herself being tied up and pretending that she was captured. She was told the video would be used to spread scam awareness.

The scammer arranged for the video recording to be facilitated by the 25-year-old suspect, who acted in the staged kidnap scene where he pointed a kukri knife at the female victim to make the video more convincing.

About a week later, the scammer instructed the female victim to isolate herself at a safehouse arranged by the 25-year-old man and cease communication with others, including her parents, to facilitate investigations.

In the second case, the 21-year-old male victim received an unsolicited call in early November, also purportedly from an ICA officer. The victim was told he had a Chinese mobile number that was associated with the spread of Covid-19-related rumours in China.

He was then routed to another scammer claiming to be a police officer from China, who accused him of money-laundering activities.

Like in the first case, the male victim was also made to report to the “China Police” through messages and video calls over a messaging application on his phone five times a day to help with investigations.

The male victim was then instructed to transfer about S$215,000 to bank accounts provided by the scammer under the pretext that it was for bail.

In early January, the scammer similarly asked the male victim to record a video of himself being tied up and pretending that he was captured, as part of scam education.

The 25-year-old suspect facilitated the staged kidnap by pointing a kukri knife at the male victim and demanding for ransom. The victim was seen with bruises all over his body.

The scammer later told the male victim to isolate himself at a safehouse rented by the 21-year-old suspect, where he was eventually found.

The two victims were unaware that the scammers had sent the purported scam education videos to their parents to demand for ransom.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the two men had acted on the scammers’ instructions to book and rent units for the victims. They also allegedly swapped the victims’ mobile phones with new mobile phones and SIM cards so that the victims could not be reached by anyone except the scammers.

Case exhibits such as the kukri and ropes used in the video were seized, and police investigations into the cases are ongoing.

Police reminded members of the public that overseas law enforcement agencies have no jurisdiction in Singapore. They cannot conduct operations, arrest anyone or request for assistance without approval from the Singapore government.

“The police take a serious view against any person who may be involved in scams, whether knowingly or unwittingly, and they will be dealt with firmly, in accordance with the law,” said SPF.

Those found guilty of cheating may be jailed up to 10 years and fined, while those found guilty of possessing a scheduled weapon face imprisonment of up to five years and at least six strokes of the cane. CNA