Three more individuals — two men and one woman aged between 17 and 28 — have been arrested in connection with a scam involving fake bulk orders allegedly placed under the name of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

In a press release issued on Friday evening (September 19), the Singapore Police Force stated that coordinated raids were carried out on Thursday (18th) and Friday in the areas of Bukit Batok West, Fernvale Lane, and Northshore Drive, leading to the arrests.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the trio were acting under the instructions of a scam syndicate. A 28-year-old man is believed to have provided his Singpass credentials to the syndicate for profit, while a 17-year-old female and a 21-year-old male allegedly helped unknown individuals register mobile phone numbers. Some of these numbers have since been linked to the ongoing scam investigations.

Investigations are ongoing.

Under the Computer Misuse Act, offenders found guilty could face up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. Those found guilty of profiting from fraudulently registered SIM cards to assist criminal activity can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both.

This follows earlier arrests made in relation to the same case. Three others — two men and one woman aged between 16 and 31 — were previously apprehended. A 22-year-old woman was charged on Wednesday (17th), while the other two men, including a 16-year-old youth, are still under investigation.

In recent weeks, multiple incidents have emerged involving fake bulk orders placed under the pretense of being from the SAF. Scammers, posing as SAF personnel, contacted small business owners to place large orders without paying a deposit. On the scheduled delivery day, the supposed customers failed to show up, leaving businesses with wasted resources and financial losses.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) clarified in a Facebook post last Sunday (14th) that seven recent incidents involving fake orders were confirmed to be unrelated to the SAF after internal investigations. The SAF has since filed a police report.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the modus operandi closely resembles previous government-related bulk order scams. Fraudsters often claim to be from government agencies and reach out to retailers or service providers via phone or WhatsApp, placing urgent, large-scale orders. These often include requests for specific branded goods that the businesses do not usually stock.

When vendors are unable to fulfill the requests, the “customer” recommends an accomplice — posing as a supplier — to assist with the rest of the order. Scammers may also provide doctored payment proofs, such as screenshots, to convince businesses that a partial payment has been made, tricking them into transferring money to the fake supplier.