SINGAPORE, Sept. 22 -- At least 13 Malaysians have been arrested in Singapore within a month for their suspected roles in a wave of scams that have already cost victims more than S$456 million (RM1.5 billion) in the first half of 2025, according to a report by The Straits Times (ST).

Most of the arrests were linked to government official impersonation scams, which alone saw S$126.5 million lost between January and June. Victims were typically duped into believing they were under investigation by the authorities and persuaded to hand over large sums of cash or valuables.

One of the most recent arrests involved 31-year-old Malaysian Lee Jian Cheng, who is accused of helping a scam syndicate collect cash and jewellery from victims and mone...