Increasing Penalties for Persons Involved in Government Official Impersonation Scams

Question:

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Government will consider more severe penalties and longer jail sentences for criminals involved in scams using the impersonation of Ministries and Government agencies including those who allow the use of their bank accounts.

Answer:

Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development:

1. Our assessment is that the existing penalties are currently adequate. Depending on the facts of the case, scammers and money mules, including those involved in scams that impersonate Government officials, may face charges which carry imprisonment terms of up to 10 years.

2. However, many scammers are based overseas, making it difficult to identify and prosecute them. We have hence focused on punishing and deterring those in Singapore who facilitate scams.  For example, in 2023, we amended the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act to allow the Police to take firmer enforcement action against money mules whose bank accounts are used to perpetrate scams and other crimes. We have also worked with the inter-agency Sentencing Advisory Panel to publish sentencing guidelines for certain scams-related offences last year. The guidelines recommend that significant imprisonment terms should be the norm for scam-related offences. For example, the recommended starting sentence is six months’ imprisonment for negligently handing over control of one’s bank account to another person; and 18 months’ imprisonment for handing over control of his bank account to another person knowing or having reason to believe that this would assist the person in retaining criminal proceeds.

3. The Ministry of Home Affairs regularly reviews the adequacy of our criminal penalties, and will likewise do so for scam-related offences.