SINGAPORE — A 21-year-old man has been arrested over an alleged scheme in which Singpass access belonging to work permit holders was used to create e-wallet accounts that later handled thousands of dollars in scam proceeds, adding to growing concerns over criminals exploiting digital identities and payment accounts.
According to police information reported by AsiaOne and The Straits Times, the suspect allegedly accessed the Singpass accounts of work permit holders and used them to apply for e-wallets. The work permit holders were purportedly paid S$50 each for providing access.
Investigators found that at least S$9,792 in scam proceeds had passed through the e-wallets, authorities said.
Police officers from the Clementi Police Division conducted an operation on August 25 and 26, 2026, to identify the 21-year-old man as well as the work permit holders involved. The suspect was subsequently arrested.
Police said he was due to be charged in court on August 27 with cheating. If convicted of the offence cited in the case, he could face imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both.
Work permit holders also under investigation
The case does not end with the alleged buyer.
Authorities are also investigating work permit holders who allegedly sold or relinquished access that enabled the creation of the e-wallet accounts.
They could potentially face prosecution for abetment of cheating, which can similarly carry imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both, according to reports on the police statement.
The distinction is important: investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding each account, and criminal liability ultimately depends on what individuals knowingly did and what can be proven in court.
Police have repeatedly warned that people should never trade access to their Singpass credentials, bank accounts, e-wallets or mobile lines for quick cash.
Once control of a Singpass account is surrendered, criminals may potentially use the digital identity to open financial accounts, register mobile services or create other accounts that can then be used to move illicit funds.
Why Singpass accounts are becoming valuable to scammers
The latest arrest comes amid a broader series of police operations targeting the misuse of Singpass credentials.
In a separate case announced earlier in August, police arrested a 25-year-old man and two women aged 29 and 38 over a scheme targeting work permit holders.
At least 23 workers had reported having their Singpass accounts locked after they were allegedly offered an S$80 cash incentive in exchange for access. Authorities eventually identified another 136 foreign workers whose accounts were linked to the activity.
Police said Singpass accounts compromised in that investigation were used to register more than 30 LiquidPay accounts and over 1,200 phone lines without the workers’ knowledge. The affected e-wallet accounts were frozen and the fraudulent phone lines terminated.
Another separate investigation announced this week showed how the same digital-identity threat can arise in an entirely different setting.
Two Malaysian employees of a Singapore mobile phone shop, aged 25 and 47, were arrested on August 25 over allegations that they exploited their work to obtain customers’ Singpass credentials.
In one alleged incident, a customer purchasing a SIM card was offered help updating the mobile number linked to his Singpass account. Police said the opportunity was then allegedly used to create a LiquidPay account without the customer’s knowledge.
Authorities said at least 20 Singapore citizens and work permit holders had been investigated in connection with LiquidPay accounts that reportedly received S$110,063 linked to scams.
Investigators subsequently identified another 171 Singapore citizens and foreign workers whose Singpass accounts were connected to the activity, with more than 160 additional LiquidPay accounts allegedly registered without the account holders’ knowledge. All affected accounts were frozen.
Police have not publicly established that these separate investigations are part of the same operation.
Singapore still losing hundreds of millions to scams
The cases come as Singapore continues a nationwide crackdown on scams, money mules and the infrastructure criminals use to receive and move stolen funds.
According to Singapore’s latest mid-year figures, 16,821 scam cases were reported in the first six months of 2026, down 14.4% from 19,644 during the same period a year earlier.
Financial losses nevertheless remained enormous at approximately S$410.6 million, although that was 17.9% lower year on year.
Police said scams accounted for 91.5% of all scam and cybercrime cases recorded during the period.
Perhaps more significantly, authorities found that in about 80.8% of reported scams, criminals did not directly seize control of a victim’s financial account. Instead, victims were manipulated through deception and social engineering into carrying out the transactions themselves.
Investment scams caused the greatest financial damage in the first half of 2026, with approximately S$169.8 million lost across 2,256 cases.
A S$50 payment can carry consequences far beyond S$50
The latest Singpass case highlights a crucial weakness exploited by modern scam networks: criminals do not always need to hack a financial system directly.
Sometimes they need a legitimate digital identity, payment account or mobile line that can be placed between themselves and stolen money.
A seemingly easy payment for handing over an account can therefore create an infrastructure that scammers may use to receive criminal proceeds, register services or conceal the identity of those controlling the operation.
Singapore police have warned people not to accept offers of quick money in exchange for their bank accounts, e-wallets, Singpass credentials or mobile services.
They have also stressed that Singpass passwords and two-factor authentication details should never be disclosed to unknown individuals, because the credentials can potentially be used to open bank accounts, e-wallets, cryptocurrency accounts and mobile phone lines for illegal activities.
The message from investigators is increasingly clear: when someone offers cash simply for access to a digital identity or financial account, the small payment may be only the beginning of a much larger scam trail.
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