SINGAPORE — Two Malaysian men have been arrested in Singapore for allegedly masquerading as government officials to defraud a woman of more than S$400,000 (RM1.28 million), The Straits Times reported.

According to Singapore police, the suspects, aged 22 and 38, were detained on Saturday following a report two days earlier that the victim had been duped by callers claiming to represent the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

The victim had first received a call from someone purporting to be from a bank, who falsely claimed that a credit card had been issued in her name. When she denied the claim, she was passed to scammers posing as MinLaw and MAS officials who accused her of involvement in a money laundering case.

To appear legitimate, the scammers sent her fabricated staff passes and documents via WhatsApp. They then instructed her to move S$1 million from her bank account to a credit card and use that card to purchase gold worth more than S$412,000 from Mustafa Centre, which she was told to hand over to an unknown person.

“The victim lodged a police report after realising that something was amiss,” the police said, according to The Straits Times.

Investigators from the Anti-Scam Command later identified the recipient as a 38-year-old Malaysian, who was arrested upon entering Singapore. A 22-year-old man suspected of involvement in similar scams was detained separately the same day.

Preliminary investigations suggested that both men had been recruited by a transnational scam syndicate to collect cash and valuables from victims and deliver them to others whose identities remain unknown.

Police said both suspects are expected to be charged today. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in jail, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.