JOHOR BARU: Johor police said no complaints were received in the state over the alleged “Johor-Singapore housing subsidy” scam targeting Singaporeans.
State police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the contingent is aware of an advisory issued by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), warning Singaporeans of syndicates offering “free houses” in Johor.
“No victims came forward in Johor, however, we are ready to assist SPF should investigations require cross-border cooperation,” he said in a statement today.
Rahaman also urged the public not to be swayed by offers of subsidies or free property and reminded them to verify information before making any payments.
The New Straits Times had earlier reported that Singaporeans lured by online promises of ‘free Johor homes’, have instead fallen prey to international scammers.
Johor housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor dismissed the so-called ‘Johor-Singapore housing subsidy programme’ advertised on Facebook and other social media platforms, calling it pure fiction.
This latest ruse comes amid a string of high-profile cross-border crackdowns by Malaysian and Singaporean police against fraud syndicates in recent years.
In January last year, Johor police and its Singapore counterparts smashed a “fake friend-call” ring that cheated Singaporeans of SG$1.4 million (RM4.8 million). Five Malaysians were arrested and later extradited.
A year later, in January this year, 16 Malaysians linked to scams impersonating government officials, causing losses exceeding SG$120 million (RM417 million) were nabbed in Kuala Lumpur and tied to more than 50 cases.
The following month, SPF’s Anti-Scam Command and Malaysia’s NSRC launched a month-long blitz, placing 850 suspects under probe in connection with 2,700 scam cases. More than 3,400 bank accounts were frozen and SG$2 million (RM7 million) seized.
In June, in another joint operation involving Malaysia and Singapore’s police, crippled a syndicate operating Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateway that masked scam calls into Singapore. A 41-year-old Malaysian suspect was arrested and handed over to the republic’s authorities.
VoIP gateway is a device or system that converts traditional phone calls into internet-based calls and vice versa, that allows scammers to disguise or “mask” their real numbers when making fraudulent calls.
Such cooperation has also extended beyond scams.
In July 2024, a gambling syndicate operating across both sides of the Causeway was dismantled, with four Singaporean men arrested in Johor Baru.
Malaysia and Singapore police maintain close cooperation against cross-border crimes.
Their strong bilateral front against borderless crime, namely in Johor, in recent years have busted syndicates behind fake calls, government impersonation, VoIP fraud and gambling, with suspects arrested, millions in losses traced, and assets seized.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
