Singapore leads multinational operation to shutter scam centers tied to $225 million in thefts

Seven law enforcement agencies in Asia coordinated on an operation to shut down dozens of scam centers and arrested more than 1,800 people involved.

Led by officials from the Singapore Police Force, authorities In Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, the Maldives, Thailand and Macao executed a month-long operation in April and May — investigating 33,900 suspects believed to be involved in at least 9,200 scam cases ranging from fraudulent investments to schemes involving dating apps, government impersonations, job websites  and more. 

In total, officials believe victims had about $225 million stolen from them. About 32,000 bank accounts linked to the scams — sometimes known as pig butchering — were frozen and $20 million was seized as part of the operation. 

Singapore said it arrested 106 people locally who were responsible for 1,300 scams that netted them about $30 million. Police in the island nation were able to seize nearly $8 million worth of stolen funds taken from 714 bank accounts. 

Those arrested are facing a range of charges related to hacking, stolen government ID use and more. 

David Chew, a senior Singaporean police official, said they needed to work with international law enforcement agencies because scam syndicates now operate “without geographical constraints, employing increasingly sophisticated methods across multiple jurisdictions to defraud victims and launder their illicit proceeds.”

“A transnational threat requires a transnational response. No single jurisdiction has an adequate answer to this scourge, but we are collectively stronger together,” he said, noting that the effort was called “Operation Frontier+.”

The effort began, according to Singapore’s police force, at the end of April when two separate victims transferred thousands to a bank account provided by scammers. Police officials were able to trace the funds to bank accounts in Malaysia and coordination between the two governments allowed a portion of the money to be frozen almost immediately. 

Singapore said it plans to continue Operation Frontier+, exchanging “real-time intelligence and analysis” with the other countries to quickly retrieve money obtained through cyber scams. 

Hong Kong police said the operation began last year and involves at least 10 countries, including Australia, Canada and Indonesia.

The operation comes as multiple countries have taken a more aggressive posture toward shutting down scam syndicates. This week, the U.S. Justice Department secured plea deals from six men accused of scamming more than $35 million from people through illicit cyber scheme centers in Cambodia. 

Last week, Microsoft partnered with Japanese and Indian officials to shut down a tech support fraud syndicate that was scamming the elderly in Japan. 

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation raided 19 locations and arrested six men, taking down two illegal call centers and seizing troves of digital infrastructure.