Scam mules may be blocked from accessing banking services, getting new mobile lines in clampdown

SINGAPORE: The authorities have announced a joint effort to clamp down on scam mules by restricting their access to banking and phone services that can be exploited for such crimes.

The Singapore Police Force, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Infocomm Media Development Authority and Government Technology Agency of Singapore said on Wednesday (Sep 17) that they would be restricting scam mules' access to facilities such as financial, telecommunications, Singpass and Corppass services. 

"The success of scam syndicates hinges on local persons providing their bank accounts, mobile lines and other essential facilities to the syndicates. We have to restrict scammers' access to these facilities, to disrupt their operations and protect the public," the authorities said.

They noted that nearly 15 per cent of telephone line subscribers this year so far who allowed their lines to be used for scams were found to be repeat mule offenders, with more than 11,000 lines subscribed.

More than 19,600 scam cases were reported in the first half of the year, with losses amounting to S$456.4 million (US$357 million).

Scam mules are typically people who transfer money obtained from scams or criminal activities from one source to another on behalf of someone else. The upcoming facility restriction framework ensures that those who had facilitated scams before cannot easily again access services that could facilitate even more scams. 

The key measures to tackle the mules are as follows:

• They could face restricted access to banking services that can be used to move scam money. These include card-based transactions, ATM services and digital banking services, including internet banking and mobile banking
• Their ability to use Singpass accounts to register for services that are at higher risk of being exploited for scams, such as opening a bank account, may be limited
• They could also be prohibited from subscribing to new mobile lines and face restrictions on their access to existing Corppass accounts

Singpass is the national authentication system for e-services and Corppass is the authorisation system for companies and entities to manage the digital service access of employees who need to perform corporate transactions.

"The specific restrictions to be imposed and the duration of the restrictions will be calibrated based on the risks posed by the scam mule, taking into consideration basic financial and communication needs," the authorities said.

Anyone who has been warned, issued with composition sums, prosecuted or convicted of mule-related offences may face these restrictions.

They can also be imposed on anyone who is under investigation for mule-related offences and who has been assessed to be at risk of further facilitating scams.

The measures will be rolled out in phases from October, starting with restrictions on access to banking services and prohibitions on new mobile line subscriptions.

Those affected will be notified by the police, who will also handle appeals against the restrictions. 

The restrictions on Corppass and Singpass will take effect at a later phase.

Beyond these restrictions, sentencing advisory guidelines have been issued. The guidelines recommend enhanced penalties for offenders who commit scam-related offences. 

"Mules will face more severe penalties, including imprisonment," the authorities said.

TAPPING CRYPTOCURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

Scammers who rely heavily on local facilities to carry out the scams often buy them from people seeking to make easy and quick money. The scammers would then make use of these facilities sold to them by the mules.

For example, mule bank accounts are used to electronically move the money that scammers got from their victims between different banks, and out of Singapore, making it difficult for the authorities to trace them.

Internet banking and PayNow are the primary methods for moving scam money, in addition to card-based transactions and withdrawal of cash from ATMs, the authorities said.

Scammers are also increasingly exploiting the anonymity features of cryptocurrency transactions to move scam money, they added.

Singapore phone lines are preferred by scammers since potential victims are more likely to respond to them as compared to a foreign phone number.

These lines are also used by scammers to register social media accounts to reach out to their targets.

In the mid-year figures released by the police in August, Singapore saw a 26 per cent drop in scam cases in the first half of 2025 as compared to the same period last year.

However, the police said in its report that the situation remained a concern, noting an increase in scams involving the impersonation of government officials, phishing scams and malware scams.

In March, Ms Sun Xueling, then-Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development, said that scam mules were the main way overseas scammers launder their gains and transfer them out of Singapore. 

Efforts to better detect money mule activity would be ramped up this year, she added.

This would include the police sharing more information with banks on known mule accounts to improve their fraud analytics and enable them to uncover other mule accounts.

Ms Sun also said then that the government would work with the banking industry to implement cooling-off measures for certain activities that are tell-tale signs of money-mule activity.