Malaysian arrested in Singapore over alleged role in government official impersonation scams

SINGAPORE – Police have arrested a 35-year-old Malaysian man believed to be involved in two impersonation scams where callers posed as government officers.

According to local media, the cases were reported on 11 November and 12 November 2025.

The victim was instructed to hand over cash and buy gold

In the first case, a woman received a call from someone claiming to be from UnionPay, alleging that her insurance policy was about to expire and she needed to pay a premium.

When she disputed the purchase, the caller claimed her identity might have been misused and said a report would be filed on her behalf.

She later received another call from someone claiming to be from the Ministry of Law and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

She was told her finances needed investigating and was instructed to withdraw S$9,000 and hand it to a stranger.

Further instructions directed her to buy more than S$170,000 worth of gold for an alleged money-laundering investigation.

At a United Overseas Bank branch, attentive staff questioned her and warned her that she might be a scam victim, preventing further losses.

Victim threatened with arrest

In the second case, a man received calls claiming his bank account had been misused.

He was told to provide banking details and later to prepare S$15,000 in cash for supposed investigations.

Fearing arrest, he complied and handed the money to a stranger the next day.

Following investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department identified the suspect, believed to have collected cash for a transnational scam group.

He was arrested on 12 November while attempting to leave Singapore and will be charged in court on 14 November.