(SINGAPORE) In the ongoing investigation into unauthorised address changes through Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) online platform, law enforcement officials have apprehended six additional suspects, bringing the total arrests to 13.
The latest wave of arrests, announced by police authorities yesterday, included five men and one woman, aged between 18 and 39. These arrests follow an extensive island-wide operation that had previously netted seven suspects between 11th and 13th January.
According to police reports, the suspects are believed to have orchestrated at least 66 attempts to illegally modify residential addresses through the ICA’s electronic system. The scope of the fraud has widened, with ICA confirming 87 unauthorised attempts to alter registered addresses as of 13th January, of which 69 were successful.
Twelve of the suspects face charges under the Computer Misuse Act, with varying degrees of involvement. Nine individuals are under investigation for abetting or facilitating unauthorised access code disclosure, whilst two face charges related to disclosing access codes linked to the national digital identity service. One suspect is being investigated for transmitting another person’s credentials within the same system.
In a concerning development, police inspections revealed security vulnerabilities at several targeted addresses. “Of the 32 valid addresses where PIN mailers were dispatched, four locations were found to have compromised or malfunctioning letterboxes, potentially enabling easy access to sensitive documents,” a police spokesperson revealed.
The investigation has already resulted in formal charges against four suspects, with court proceedings beginning on 15th and 17th January. One suspect faces separate charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act for allegedly transferring criminal proceeds.
The penalties for these offences are severe. First-time offenders convicted under the Computer Misuse Act face up to three years’ imprisonment and fines of up to $10,000. Those found guilty of transferring criminal benefits could face significantly harsher sentences of up to ten years’ imprisonment and fines reaching $500,000.
Additionally, several suspects are under ICA investigation for potential breaches of National Registration Regulations, which carry penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment and fines of up to $3,000.
