35 arrested in anti-scam sweep for impersonation scams
Thirty-five people aged 17 to 47 have been arrested in connection with scams that involved impersonating government and bank officials.
The police said the arrests were made during an islandwide operation carried out between Sept 30 and Oct 8.
Another 23 individuals, including a 16-year-old male, are helping with investigations.
Among those arrested, 34 are believed to have let their bank accounts or internet banking credentials be used to facilitate the scams. A 47-year-old man is believed to have had criminal proceeds paid into in his bank account.
Since early September, the police have received numerous reports of scams involving the impersonation of bank and government officials.
Victims would receive calls from scammers posing as bank officers, claiming that a credit card had been issued under the victim’s name or that suspicious transactions had been detected in their accounts.
If the victim said they knew nothing of these transactions, the call would be transferred to another scammer impersonating a government official. The interactions sometimes occurred through video calls, with scammers dressed as officers, complete with fake badges and official backdrops.
Scammers would accuse victims of being involved in criminal activities and demand money transfers to “safety accounts”, which they claimed were used to assist in investigations.
Victims typically realised they were scammed when they could no longer contact the scammers or when they verified their cases with the banks or the police.
The public is urged to adopt precautionary measures such as enabling security features, checking for scam signs and reporting scams to the authorities. For more information or to report such crimes, individuals can contact the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or visit the ScamShield website.
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