Singapore police have revealed that more than 6,300 people lost $16 million to “fake friend” scams in the country last year.
Such scams reportedly involve contacting victims and pretending to be someone they know to request financial assistance.
Singaporean authorities had warned of a surge in scams in recent years as criminals continue to come up with new methods to trick unsuspecting people.
The scam cost victims S$21.1 million ($15.7 million) between January and November last year, police said in a statement on Tuesday.
In a recent incident, five Malaysians were extradited to Singapore on Tuesday over a “fake friend” scam call that resulted in the loss of more than $1 million in funds, police said in a statement.
Police from Malaysia and Singapore reportedly raided two apartments in the city-state and neighboring Malaysia’s Johor state in a joint operation earlier this month.
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Five men, aged between 19 and 36, have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in a scam targeting Singaporeans.
Police said on Tuesday they would extradite the men to Singapore and face charges of conspiracy to defraud on Wednesday.
Police believe the syndicate is responsible for more than 500 police calls and losses of more than S$1.4 million since June last year.
The five suspects risk up to 10 years in prison and fines if convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud.
“The Singapore Police Force is working closely with the Royal Malaysian Police to uncover and disrupt cross-border fraud syndicates that prey on our people,” said David Chew, the force’s commercial affairs director.
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