Singapore has just passed the Law Enforcement and Other Matters Bill, which stipulates stricter offenses and penalties for those who misuse SIM cards for fraudulent purposes.
According to a bill passed by the Singapore Parliament , three groups of individuals are identified as violators: those who register for telecommunications services with malicious intent, retailers, and intermediaries who trade in domestic SIM cards to facilitate fraudulent activities.
Accordingly, subscribers with malicious intent are those who give away SIM cards or provide their details to others to register SIM cards. However, those with legitimate reasons, such as registering SIM cards for family members, will not fall under this category, and those who are tricked into providing details will not be prosecuted.
The intermediaries are individuals who broker SIM cards for misuse, including providing domestic SIM cards to fraudulent organizations; receiving, providing, or possessing domestic SIM cards registered with other people's details and unregistered SIM cards for criminal purposes.
Individuals possessing 11 or more SIM cards will be held legally liable, or their SIM cards may have been previously used to commit a crime. However, those with legitimate reasons, such as employers holding SIM cards intended for employees, will not be prosecuted.
Retailers who violate the regulations are those who facilitate the fraudulent registration of domestic SIM cards. Mobile service providers or retailers register domestic SIM cards using the personal information of others without permission...
Criminal acts by individuals registering SIM cards for fraudulent purposes are punishable by fines of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to three years. Similarly, criminal acts by brokers and retailers selling SIM cards for misuse are punishable by fines of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to three years for the first offense. Repeat offenders may face fines of up to $20,000 and imprisonment for up to five years.
In 2023, Singapore detected a record high of 46,000 cases of telecommunications fraud, with losses totaling US$651.8 million.
MINH CHAU
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